Imperfect Nanny
by Lucinders
Summary: AU: Owen Hunt's younger sister died in a car accident, leaving him the sole guardian of his six-year-old niece, Madison. He is looking for help to take care of her.
1. Chapter 1 Interviews

**AU: Owen Hunt's younger sister died in a car accident, leaving him the sole guardian of his six-year-old niece, Madison. He is looking for help to take care of her.**

* * *

><p>Thirty-year-old Owen Hunt held on to his six-year-old niece's hand, as they watched them put his sister into the ground. The tears were silently rolling down his face, as he squeezed his niece's hand. They were the only two people left in their family as his mother and father had died<p>

He never thought that his younger sister, Elizabeth would die before him. She was a year younger but they grew up like twins. When Elizabeth got pregnant seven years ago, he was the first person she told. She was only 22 and the pregnancy had been the result of a one-night stand. She had considered terminating the pregnancy but she changed her mind at the last minute.

She said it was time for her to stop being a party girl and start to take life seriously. The pregnancy, she had told Owen, was her wake up call. There was someone else who was going to depend on her from now on. She cleaned up her act, stopped the drinking and the partying and the one-night stands, got herself a steady job and was fully prepared to raise the kid on her own.

Owen was there when Madison was born. She was a beautiful baby, with soft brown hair and green eyes. Since Owen and his sister were both blonde and blue-eyed, it was clear that Madison had taken the coloring of her father, whoever he was.

Owen was Madison's favorite uncle. It wasn't hard to be that, since he was her only uncle but even if he had competition, he would still have been her favorite uncle. He was the male presence that she needed in her life. When Elizabeth had made him Maddie's guardian, he never thought that it would become necessary. He always thought that Elizabeth would always be around to raise Maddie.

Then, the car accident happened. Elizabeth, an interior designer, had gone to Connecticut to visit a client and on her way back to New York, her car was hit by a truck. She died instantly. At least Owen was grateful that if she was going to die, at least, it was quick and she felt no pain.

As he tied up Elizabeth's affairs, he clearly knew that his status had changed from favorite uncle who was only there on weekends and birthday parties and trips to the zoo, to full-time dad. He wasn't prepared to be a dad. His job as an environmental lawyer kept his extremely busy. He worked long days and sometimes never got home before 10 or 11 p.m. at night. He was dating a couple of women but none of them were really serious, so he didn't really have a strong female presence to bring into his niece's life.

With his bereavement leave soon coming to an end, he knew he had to find help to raise this child. He lived alone in a large townhouse in Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park, that he had renovated over the years. He had been an avid weekend warrior, redoing the three floors from top to the bottom. The house had four bedrooms, four and a half baths and even a rooftop terrace of which he was very proud. Outdoor space in New York City was always coveted.

His friend from the law practice, Janelle Stevens, a wife and mother of two, had volunteered to assist him in the search for help. He was looking for a live-in nanny/babysitter for his niece. Maddie would be entering the first grade at Phillips Day School in one week and he was desperate that her nanny be in place by that time. He needed her to take care of Maddie in the morning before school and especially, after school. Since he worked long hours, he would not be around to take care of Maddie in the evening.

He didn't think it was going to be that hard to find someone. After all, how hard could it be to look after one little girl?

Today was the day of the interviews. He had seven prospective nannies coming in for interviews and Janelle was there to help him to identify the best prospects. He explained what he needed and he was pleased to find that most of the women were well qualified for the job, several of them having quite a few years of experience.

Janelle turned to him, "So far, it seems that Miss Davis is your best prospect. She has over 15 years of experience, has excellent references and has worked with some of the finest families in New York. Well, that's my take on it. Who else do we have?"

"Just our last one," Owen said. "Cristina Yang. The agency said that she is younger than the other candidates but they thought that they would send her over to see whether we liked her. She seems to be a little bit late." He looked at his watch. "Let's wait 10 minutes for her."

He got up and stretched his long legs. It wasn't too long when he heard the doorbell ring.

"That must be her," he said, as he went to the door.

He opened the door and found himself face to face with a pretty Asian girl with long, dark curly hair and porcelain skin. He thought to himself, "Oh my God, this girl is soooooo cute."

"Are you Miss Yang?" he asked.

"Yes. I am sorry that I am late, Mr Hunt. I was caught up in school, registering for classes. I was in this very long line. I am truly sorry," she said.

"Oh, it's okay. Come on in. My friend, Janelle and I will be having a little chat with you," he said, as he ushered her into the living room.

"Cristina Yang, Janelle Stevens. She is helping me today with the interviews," he said.

As Janelle shook Cristina's hand, she looked at Owen, who was standing behind Cristina, his face was all lit up with this foolish, massive grin. Janelle surmised immediately that Owen was not really interested in the girl's qualifications to be a nanny, but in the girl herself.

Janelle said, "Thank you for coming in, Miss Yang. Have a seat. Can I call you Cristina?"

"Yes," Cristina said. She assumed that the woman was Mr. Hunt's girlfriend.

Owen took his seat next to Janelle and started admiring how pretty the girl was.

"Owen," Janelle said, nudging him lightly. "Can you explain what the job entails?"

"Oh, yes," he said. "My niece Madison is living with me now. She is six years old. The job is a live-in position because I need someone to stay with her because I work very long hours. She is starting grade school in a week's time so I would need you to get her ready in the morning, get her breakfast, fix her lunch. I will drop her off in the mornings. In the evenings, you will have to pick her up, get her fed, bathed, help her with her homework and put her to bed. Also, if it is not too much trouble, you will be asked to help keep the place in a reasonable state of tidiness," he said. "It's not going to be hard. Madison is a lovely girl. You will also have your own bedroom and bathroom. The pay is as discussed with the agency with a bonus at Christmas. Your weekends are off."

Janelle realized that Owen was actually trying to make the job as attractive as possible to the young girl. Where did that bonus at Christmas suddenly come from, Janelle wondered. He hadn't mentioned a bonus to any of the other candidates for the job.

Janelle asked, "So why are you interested in this particular job, Cristina?" She realized that she was going to have to ask the questions.

"I am very much interested in children. I love working with children. I have a degree in child psychology," she said.

"A degree in child psychology?" Janelle said. "Doesn't that make you a little over-qualified for taking care of a six year old?"

"Well, this job would greatly assist me, as I am pursuing a Master's degree at NYU. This job will fit in well with my schedule. I can go to school during the day and see about Madison in the evening," she said.

"Well, can you tell me about your past child care jobs?" Janelle asked.

"I am only 22," Cristina said. "So most of my jobs have been babysitting jobs. I have been babysitting since I was 14 years old. I have a lot of references from all the parents that I have sat for. Also, from a couple of my professors, whose kids I took care of, while I was in college. I have taken care of kids from babies to 12-year-olds, so I have dealt with a wide range of behaviors."

"But you have never had a full-time nanny job?" Janelle enquired.

"No, but I have taken care of the same children on a consistent basis," Cristina said. "Their parents have given me references. I can leave them with you and you can contact them."

"Thank you," Owen said, as he took the letters from her.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" she asked. "I would really like the job."

"Well, we will let you know as soon as possible," Owen told her. "Thank you for coming in, Cristina. Let me show you the way out."

As he showed her out, he took a final admiring look at the young woman, as she walked away from his house.

Cristina really needed this job. It offered room and board, in addition to a salary. It would be a godsend, especially since the house was so close to NYU. She hoped that her relative youth and her lack of her experience in a full-time nanny job would not be held against her.

He had a huge smile on his face, when he went back to the living room.

"Wipe that smile off your face, Owen," Janelle said.

"Wasn't she something?" Owen said.

"Listen, which head are you thinking with, right now?" Janelle said, shaking her head. "I can tell you are attracted to the girl. If you were in a bar, you would have made a move on her."

"I think that given her age, she would relate well to Maddie," Owen said.

"I still think that Miss Davis is still the best candidate," Janelle said. "I recognize that Miss Davis is not as young or as attractive as Miss Yang but she does have the most experience. Miss Davis is still your best bet. She is the perfect nanny."

Owen sighed.

"Thank you, Janelle for your patience and your input. I will make the final decision," he said.

"Alright. I am heading out of here," she said. "I have to meet my husband and two kids at the pizza place."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Alright, Owen. Miss Davis is the choice." He showed her out of his house.

Owen sat in the living room and looked over the candidates' information sent over by the agency. He took the information sheets on both Davis and Yang. He considered everything that Janelle had said.

He took out his phone and dialed the number.

"Hello," he said. "I have decided to offer you the job."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for commenting.**


	2. Chapter 2 Desperation

Miss Davis had been working for the Hunt household for a full four days. Owen had listened to Janelle's advice and had hired Miss Davis.

Janelle had been pleased at his decision. She made the smart-aleck remark that he was at least thinking with the right head. She had smirked when she said it. He really didn't appreciate that.

Owen had gone back to work and was leaving Maddie in the care of Miss Davis. Maddie's school would not be open until next week and Owen felt it was wise to use the time for Maddie to get to know Miss Davis.

Owen was pleased with Miss Davis' work. The house was spotless, there was nary a mess in sight whenever he came home from work. Maddie was also neat, clean and fed. She, however, had grown very quiet over the week. It was not the Maddie that he knew, who had always been a fairly loud, boisterous, laughing child. He knew something was wrong.

On Friday morning before he went to work, he took Maddie aside in her playroom to have a little chat with her.

"Maddie, is something wrong? You don't seem like yourself," Owen asked his brown-haired niece.

Maddie looked up at him with her big, green eyes. "I don't like Miss Davis," she said, quietly, looking around to see if Miss Davis was anywhere close by before she answered.

"Why? Has she done something to you?" he asked, very alarmed.

"No," Maddie said. "She is so strict. She doesn't want me to get dirty at all. She says that if I get dirty, it will be a reflection on her, that she is not doing a good job. But I want to get dirty, sometimes, Uncle Owen. I am a little girl and we can't be clean at all times."

"Anything else?" Owen asked.

"She doesn't like to do the things I like to do. She doesn't want to sing or dance with me. She tells me I should play quietly and not make any noise. She said I shouldn't be cackling like a hen because little girls do not behave like that," Maddie said with a grave look. "I don't like Miss Davis."

It was clear to Owen that Miss Davis and Maddie were not a good fit. His sister, Elizabeth, had been a free spirit and had raised Maddie to be able to express herself through singing, dancing and being free to say what she thought. She and Maddie always had a good time together. Even though Owen had never been a dad before, even he could see that what Maddie needed was someone who was closer in spirit to his sister's personality.

After his conversation with Maddie, Owen had a quiet chat with Miss Davis, who agreed that she would move out the next morning. He told her that he would give her two weeks' salary, even though she had only worked five days. He promised her that he would tell the agency that she was released without prejudice.

He was definitely in a pickle; it was already Friday and he only had three days to have a nanny in place before the school term started. He wondered if Miss Yang had already secured herself another job. He rushed down to his study to retrieve her contact information.

He dialed and she answered after a few rings.

"Hello, this is Cristina," she said. "How can I help you?"

"Hello, Cristina. This is Mr. Hunt. You remember me, you came to my house for an interview for a nanny's job, last Sunday," he said.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hunt in Greenwich Village. How are you, sir? The agency told me that you had chosen someone else for the job," she said.

"That's the thing. The person did not work out well with my niece and I was wondering whether you were still available," Owen asked.

"Well, I did get another job," she said. "I start tonight. My friend, Sarah hooked me up with a cocktail waitress job down at Fluid bar. She says once you're young, hot and can fit in that teeny-weeny uniform, you can make some serious bucks."

"Cocktail waitress? Seriously? Is that what you want to do? Don't you think looking after a lovely little girl might be better suited to a person with a child psychology degree? Not to mention the room and board that comes with the job, plus a Christmas bonus," he said, trying his best to sell the job to Cristina.

"Well, that sounds really good, Mr. Hunt. But I do recall that I was not your first choice. You did choose somebody else. So clearly, I was not good enough in the first place," she said.

"You were my first choice," he pleaded. "But I was dissuaded by my friend, who wanted to choose someone older and more experienced. I made a mistake, I should have gone with my gut and chosen you instead."

"Well, thank you for that vote of confidence, Mr. Hunt. However, I did promise the manager at Fluid that I would be there tonight to pick up my shift at 6 p.m. I can't just let him down. One thing that I am is reliable. Tell you what, Mr. Hunt, I will see how this goes tonight and I will let you know in the morning," she said.

"That's all I can ask," Owen said.

He headed to work with a heavy heart. He was in dire straits with this nanny situation. As he was passing Janelle's office, she called out to him.

"Hey, Hunt, how is the nanny working out?" Janelle asked, noting the stressed look on his face.

"I had to let her go this morning," Owen said. "So I am in bit of a jam right now."

"What? Why?" Janelle asked. "What did she do that was so bad?"

"Oh, she kept the house well and Maddie was well cared for and all that. There just was a serious lack of chemistry between the two. Maddie did not like her at all," Owen said.

"So what are you going to do?" Janelle asked. "Calling the agency again?"

"No, I decided to call Cristina Yang," Owen said. "I called her and she said she would let me know tomorrow morning. I hope she says yes because that would really pull me out of this situation."

"Cristina? Are you sure about that? Well, given, well, you know, your attraction to the girl," Janelle said.

"My gut told me that she was the right person for the job but I went along with your assessment and hired Miss Davis," he said. "I will be a perfect gentleman, Janelle. She will be my employee. I do have self-control, even though you haven't given me any credit for that."

"Okay, I am sorry," Janelle said. "I hope things work out for you."

"You know what? I think I am going to see Cristina at her new job, tonight, and see if I can make a better case in person," Owen said.

"Her new job? What is she doing?" Janelle asked.

"She's working down at Fluid bar as a cocktail waitress. It's her first night," Owen said.

"Ooh, that girl could make some serious coin there," Janelle said. "I have seen that Fluid uniform and with that smoking body, she could really rack up the tips."

"You are not helping my case," Owen said, as he left her office.

"Well, good luck, Hunt. Let me know how it works out," she called out after him with a small guffaw.

"Will do, Stevens," he said. He knew she was laughing at his expense and wondered how he ended up with such a mean friend.

The day moved swiftly along and he became so engrossed his work, he hardly noticed the hours flying. Before he knew it, it was already ten in the night. It was time to head down to Fluid. Cristina had already been on the job for four hours. Maybe her feet were starting to hurt her in her high heels, he hoped.

So he headed to Fluid, which was in the Tribeca area. After parking his BMW, he made a quick survey of the place. It was packed with people for a typical Friday night. Fluid was one of those places where people loved to go to unwind at the end of a hard work week.

He spotted her, almost immediately. Her glossy, ebony curls framed her porcelain face, which was more heavily made up than when he saw her last week. She wasn't kidding about the teeny-weeny uniform, he thought. She appeared more overtly sexy than when she came for her interview.

He made sure to get himself seated in her designated serving area. She came up to him and asked what he would like to order. She didn't seem to recognize him.

"Cristina, it's me, Mr. Hunt," he said.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Hunt," she said, smiling brightly. "I didn't recognize you in this setting. What would you like to drink?"

"Scotch neat," he said. "When you come back, I would like to talk to you."

"Not sure if I have time to chat," she said, as she went to place his order at the bar. He admired her slender body in her tiny uniform. He realized that he was not the only one, doing the same thing. He could see that there were several men, ogling her. He felt bothered by it.

She brought back his whiskey in a couple of minutes.

"So how is this working out?" he asked.

"It's a little tiring. My feet are hurting a bit but the tips have been great. Guys have been leaving me great tips," she said. "It just doesn't stop. I haven't had time to catch my breath. Ooh, have to leave you, that other table is calling me."

He watched her walk to the other table. They were a group of five Wall Street guys who appeared to be a little bit drunk. One tried to grab at her but she deftly evaded his grasp. She took down their orders and quickly returned with their drinks, serving them while doing her best to avoid possible groping hands.

He felt bad for her. Sure, the tips were good but not when you have to spend all of the time, trying to avoid guys who were getting too handsy.

He sat quietly at his table, just observing all the people around him. Sometimes, he and a couple of buddies would come to one of these cocktail bars and try to chat up women. He looked at the men, who were actually doing the same thing and he thought how it all seemed like a game between the men and the women.

A couple of ladies at the bar tried to catch his eye but he let them know that he was not interested. He was a man on a mission. He had to get himself a nanny.

Cristina passed back at his table and asked if he needed anything else. "Yes, I do. I need a nanny," he said. "You'll get better hours and you won't have to deal with idiots like those over there."

"I guess that is one of the hazards of the job, I guess," she said. "But you can't beat the tips."

He knew that was one area where he couldn't compete. "I'm still thinking about it, seriously," she said, as she left him once again to deal with the drunken guys.

As she was again taking their new order, one of the guys grabbed her and ran his hand up her leg and under her skirt. She slapped him hard. He pushed her away and she fell to the ground. Owen got up and made a beeline to their table.

"Leave her alone," Owen said in a calm but deadly voice, as he picked Cristina off the floor. He wanted the man to know that he meant business.

The drunk was taken aback by this large man confronting him. He backed off, immediately.

"What's going on here?" a smarmy-looking man came up. "Mr. Fletcher, is everything alright with you?"

The drunk answered, "Fine, Jonathan. You got a hot, feisty, little one here."

Jonathan turned to Cristina, "May I speak with you, Cristina?" Cristina followed her manager to a quiet area, while Owen observed their conversation.

"Cristina, I don't know if you are aware but Mr. Fletcher is one of our best customers. He always brings in other clients with him," Jonathan said.

"But he grabbed me and put his hand up my skirt," she protested. "Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"It's your first night here, Cristina. These are some of the things that you have to deal with," he said.

Cristina gave him an incredulous look. "You know I don't have to deal with this crap," she said. "I have another job offer. Goodbye, Mr. Sloane. I quit!"

She stormed off, went to get her coat and her purse and headed out of the bar to catch a cab to take her home. Owen got his car and pulled up alongside her.

"Cristina," he said. "Do you want to get a ride home?"

She looked around. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Hunt."

They drove in silence to her apartment building. As she opened her door to exit his car, "I will take the job, Mr. Hunt. I will be at your house at 10 a.m tomorrow. Good night and thank you for the offer."

Owen drove away, a triumphant smile on his face. His bad day turned out for the better in the end.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do very much appreciate reading your comments.**


	3. Chapter 3 Meeting Maddie

Saturday morning at 10 a.m. found Cristina outside of Owen's townhouse in Greenwich Village. She had two suitcases with her clothes and three boxes of books and personal belongings. She had been staying with her friend Antonia (Toni) Webber at her apartment. She had been hoping that she could get a job, so she could move out of Toni's place and get her own apartment. Sleeping on that sofa bed was not the most comfortable thing.

She was grateful that she got this job because not only did she have a roof over her head and meals every day, she was also going to get paid. And it just wasn't any plain old roof, it was a luxurious house where everything had been renovated and redone within the last five years. She counted herself lucky. She hoped the little girl liked her so that she could keep this job, during the duration of her two-year Master's program.

She rang the doorbell. Owen opened the door and greeted her with a huge smile.

"Ah, Cristina, so good to see you," he said, as he took in her suitcases and her boxes.

"Good morning, Mr. Hunt," she said, looking around the foyer. She had only caught a small glimpse of the place the last time she was there for the interview. It was very well decorated. Clearly, a lot of thought and money went into the making of this home. She hoped she could bring across some of her friends to see the place, if Mr. Hunt did not mind.

"Well, your room is on the third floor, next to Maddie's room. So let me carry you up to that room," he said. She turned to pick up one of her boxes.

"No, leave that. I will bring them up to you. You can't be lugging those heavy boxes with your small frame," he said.

"It's okay," Cristina said. "I carried these down from my friend's walk-up apartment." She failed to mention that she had to rest several times, when she carried them down.

"Leave them," he said. "I can't have you doing that. Just come on up."

They walked up the three flights of stairs to the top floor. At least I will be getting a workout, she thought, with all these stairs.

He ushered into her room, which was much larger than what she expected. It was as gorgeously decorated as the rest of the house was. There was a queen-sized four-poster bed with matching nightstands and dressers. Best of all, she had her own bathroom and didn't have to share with anyone else.

"Does it meet with your satisfaction?" he asked.

"More than exceeds my expectations, Mr. Hunt. It is gorgeous. I love it," she said.

"My sister, Elizabeth, did it. She was Maddie's mother. She was an interior designer," Owen said, wistfully, as he remembered his younger sister. "She did the whole house."

"Well, she was very talented," Cristina said. "Your house is beautiful."

"Thank you. Well, my bedroom is across from yours and Maddie's room is right next door. Let me go get your stuff," he said and he left the room.

Cristina was surprised that she was on the same floor as Maddie and Mr. Hunt. She had expected her bedroom to be away from the family bedrooms. Well, that really had been the case, originally. Miss Davis had occupied the guest bedroom on the second floor. But since Miss Davis had just vacated that room, that very morning, he decided to give Cristina a fresh start with her own bedroom on the third floor.

She lay on the bed. It felt so good, not like that lumpy sofa bed at Toni's place. She was sure it was a Tempur-pedic. She was busy rolling around on the bed, when Owen returned with her two suitcases. She got up, quickly, a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry," he laughed. "It's a comfy bed, isn't it? That's why I chose it. I will be right back with your boxes."

Gosh, she was already making a poor impression, she thought. "Why the heck was I rolling around on the bed, when he came in?" she scolded herself.

Owen brought up all three boxes in a jiffy, much faster than if she tried to lift the boxes herself.

"Okay, I leave you to get settled and unpack your stuff," he said. "Here is a list of what I expect from you, regarding your duties. And maybe in a hour or so, I will introduce you to Maddie. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, Mr. Hunt," she said, with a little smile.

He left the room and she went back and lay on the bed. She was so darn lucky to get this job. She decided to call Toni and gloat a little.

"Hey Toni, I am in my own bedroom in this luxurious townhouse off Washington Square Park. I have a gorgeous four-poster bed and my own bathroom, which has a separate shower and bath-tub. There is a huge walk-in closet. Girl, I have died and gone to heaven because this mattress is so comfy," she said.

"I am so jealous, Cristina," Toni said, laughing on the other end. "I guess that certainly beats my lumpy sofa-bed. And you're lucky you're getting paid to stay there. When can I come see it?"

"I will have to ask my boss, if it's okay if you guys come across for a short visit. He seems really cool, so I think he would probably say yes. But let me get the okay from him first," Cristina said.

"Yeah, do that. We don't want you losing that cushy job. I am so glad you got this job. At least you're not a waitress like I am," Toni said.

"At least you're not a cocktail waitress like I was," Cristina said. "Those guys can be so rude and handsy. Anyway, gotta go. I have to read my list of duties and prepare myself for meeting Maddie."

"Bye, Cris," Toni said, before she hung up.

Cristina got up and started unpacking her clothes. She soon realized she didn't have enough clothes and shoes to fit that huge walk-in closet or the dressers. She unpacked her books, her toiletries, her laptop and her printer. She took out a picture of her family – her mom, dad and little brother – and placed it on one nightstand. She then put a picture of her dog, Roscoe, on the other nightstand.

After unpacking, she read the list, quickly. It was pretty much what she expected – light household duties plus the care of Maddie. She also had use of a vehicle to do grocery shopping and to pick and drop off Maddie at her various extracurricular activities.

She felt she was ready to meet Maddie. She went down to the first floor and found Owen, reading the newspaper in the living room.

"Mr. Hunt, I am all unpacked. Can I meet Maddie, now?" she asked.

"Yes, she is in the kitchen," he said. She followed him into a lovely, sunny kitchen, where a little girl was busy drawing.

"Maddie, I want you to meet your new nanny. This is Cristina," he said.

"Hello, Cristina," Maddie said. "I am very pleased to meet you."

"I am happy to meet you too, Maddie. What are you doing?" Cristina said.

"Just drawing. Do you want to do it with me?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, I would like that," Cristina said. The little girl handed her a page from her sketch pad and a couple of colored pencils.

"I think I am going to draw a picture of my dog, Roscoe," Cristina said.

"You have a doggie?" Maddie said, perking up, immediately.

"Yes, he is a yellow Labrador. I've had him since he was a puppy. He is six years old. I love him very much," Cristina said.

"Did you bring him with you?" Maddie said, looking around, in case there was a wagging tail, nearby.

"No, he is living in Virginia with my mom and dad. When I came up to New York to go to school, I had to leave him behind. But my mom takes really good care of him," Cristina said. "I miss him a lot."

Maddie nodded, sympathetically.

"I want a doggie but Uncle Owen says I have to get a little older because taking care of a dog is a lot of hard work. You have to feed it, walk it, bathe it and clean up poop," Maddie said, very seriously. "I have to think really hard about it because cleaning up poop doesn't sound too good."

"Well, I will teach you how to take care of it, when your uncle thinks you can handle it. You get used to cleaning up poop because having the dog is so totally worth it," Cristina said. "He gives you so much love."

Cristina and Maddie continued to chat, while Owen observed them. He loved the easy manner in which they conversed. It was like if they had known each other for a while. He felt he had made the right choice.

He found himself staring at the girl – her delicate features, her full lips, her flawless skin and her dark, ebony curls cascading down her back. Good God, he thought, I have to stop thinking of the girl this way. He muttered to himself in a low tone, "She is the nanny, she is the nanny."

"Did you say something, Mr Hunt?" Cristina asked.

"No, no, just observing. I will see you girls at lunchtime. Maybe we can go out for a light lunch. Would you like that, Maddie?" Owen asked.

"Yes, Uncle Owen. Cristina, too, right?" Maddie said.

"Of course, Cristina too," he said. He left them alone to get to know each other better.

At lunchtime, they got into his vehicle and headed to Maddie's favorite family restaurant. He noticed that Cristina had made sure that Maddie was all buckled up in the back seat before getting into the vehicle. He liked that.

When they got to the restaurant, he was surprised when Maddie put her hand into Cristina's as they walked into the establishment. Maddie had never made any effort to show any sort of connection with Miss Davis. And here she was, within two hours of meeting Cristina, willing to let the nanny hold her hand.

They found a table near a window. Owen ordered a hamburger and fries, Cristina was having a soup and salad and Maddie had chicken fingers and fries. Maddie offered Cristina one of her French fries. He found himself staring at her pink, full lips as she twirled the fry into her mouth. He forced himself to look out of the window.

After lunch, they decided to go to the bookstore and get in some reading for the afternoon. Maddie chose three books from the children's section. He got himself two spy thrillers, while Cristina got three books – one on painting, one on music and one on dance.

"You do?" he asked, looking at the books. She answered, "Yes, I do all. I paint and draw, I play the violin and piano and I have been dancing ballet since I was four." She was clearly a girl of many talents. He hoped that it would rub off on Maddie.

After dinner that night, Cristina helped Maddie with her bath and prepared her for bed. She came down and asked Owen if he would like to tuck Maddie in. "Yes," he said and went to Maddie's room.

Maddie was already in bed. "Hey Uncle Owen," Maddie said.

"Maddie, I want to ask you about Cristina. Do you like her?" Owen asked.

"Yes, Uncle Owen. I like her very much. She's pretty and she does the things I like to do. She is fun," Maddie said. "Look, she gave me her drawing. I gave her one of mine but it is not as good as hers."

Owen looked at the drawing. It was an extremely good drawing of a yellow Labrador with a stick in its mouth. She wasn't kidding when she said she was an artist, he thought.

"I am happy that you like Cristina," he said. "Good night, Mads. Sleep tight." He tucked the blankets around her and kissed her on the forehead.

He went downstairs to continue reading his book. He was gratified. He definitely made the right choice.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate them. They help in guiding me on what I should do next.**


	4. Chapter 4 Unspoken feelings

With the introduction of the new nanny into the Hunt household, a routine was developed. First, he would drop off Cristina at her school and then, he would drop off Maddie at her school before he would head downtown to his law offices. In the afternoon, Cristina would take the subway to Maddie's school and then they would return home the same way.

When they got home, Cristina would start preparing dinner for the three of them, while Maddie did her homework on the kitchen table. The two of them would then have dinner and she would put away a plate of food for Owen in the refrigerator, which he could heat up in the microwave, when he got home. Then, Maddie would watch some television, have a bath and then, Cristina would tuck Maddie away in bed.

Owen originally had kept his hours of returning at 10 p.m. at night, but that soon changed. His colleagues at the office began to notice that he was no longer keeping late hours. He started going home at 9 p.m., then 8 p.m., then 7 p.m. and finally, 6 p.m.

When he started leaving at 6 p.m., Janelle Stevens would see him, hustling out of the office, with his briefcase.

"Hunt, what's the matter with you? Are you working half-day now? Leaving at 6 p.m.? I never thought I would see the day that you would leave, when there was still some light outside," Janelle said.

"Well, I have a kid now," he said. "I would like to see her before she goes to sleep. If I go home at 10 p.m., I won't be able to see her until the morning when I drop her off to school," he said. "What kind of guardian would I be if I only see my kid for two hours in the morning?"

"Alright, Owen. You not only have a kid but you also have a nanny," Janelle said, with a knowing smile.

"Yes, Cristina has been an amazing help to Maddie and me," he said, ignoring Janelle's obvious attempt to insinuate that one of the reasons that he was hurrying home was to see the nanny. "Good night."

The truth was, when he was a single man without any responsibilities and commitments, (aka the time before Cristina and Maddie); there was no reason for him to hurry home. He worked late because there was no one waiting at home for him. His house, while beautiful, was still empty and lonely. Now, with both Cristina and Maddie living in his house, the place had come alive with their chatter and their laughter. He loved coming home to it. He now understood how his colleagues, who had families, felt when they went home in the evening.

So, his earlier arrival at home meant that he could have dinner with Cristina and Maddie and listen to them chat about what happened to them in school. Their conversations were often punctuated by bouts of laughter, which really warmed his heart. That certainly beat eating a plate of warmed-up food by himself, any time. He was happier than he had ever been in his life.

After dinner, Cristina would help Maddie with her bath and get her ready for bed. He would get to tuck Maddie in and then he would join Cristina in the living room for a spot of tea. She would read her assigned chapters of the day for her next day and he would catch up with the newspaper. He liked those quiet times with her, where he would, sometimes, glance over at her and watch her eyebrows knit together, as she concentrated on reading her textbook.

Sometimes, but not often, she would fall asleep on the couch, still clutching her book. He never had the heart to wake her up. He would gently remove the book from her grasp and carry her up the three flights of stairs to her bedroom. It seemed that Cristina was a sound sleeper because she did not even stir when he picked her up and carried her.

The first time he did it, he took a look at the pictures in her bedroom. She had a picture of her family on one nightstand but it was the picture of the yellow Labrador wearing a bowtie that brought a smile to his face. That must be the famous Roscoe, he thought. It seemed that Roscoe was very much into formalwear.

The next morning, she looked disturbed. Owen asked her what was wrong. "I think I am sleepwalking," she said, with a concerned look on her face.

"Why do you say that?" he said, knowing perfectly well what had happened.

"All I remember from last night is reading my psych textbook, downstairs, and this morning, I wake up in my bed," she said. "Hmmm. Maybe I should sign up for the sleep study that they have in school so they can check whether I am a somnambulist."

"I don't think anything is wrong, Cristina," he said. "You probably were too sleepy to remember how you got upstairs. You probably did it on automatic pilot."

"Maybe," she said, as she packed Maddie's lunch into her lunch bag. "Okay, we're ready, Mr. Hunt." It was another start to a good day for Owen.

Then there were the not-so-good days for Owen, which usually were on Saturdays. More specifically, on Saturday nights, when Cristina would go out with her friends. Since she officially had her weekends off, she would usually go out with her pals out on the town, while he was left home with Maddie. He couldn't sleep well when she was out and only rested easy when he heard her bedroom door close in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

It bothered him that she dated, especially since she seemed to be dating one guy named Tony. He had never seen the creature because Cristina usually just ran out of the house, whenever Tony came to pick her up. Who was this lucky guy, he wondered, to have her undivided attention. Probably some kid from NYU, he figured.

It was another Saturday night and as usual, Cristina was again going out. His friends, Bruce and Chuck, had come across to watch the big fight on Owen's 65-inch television. The menu was typical guy fare for fight night - pizza, beer and salty snacks. The guys were interrupted the sound of high heels coming down the stairs.

Cristina was dressed in a short black mini-skirt and a belly-skimming red glittery top. The guys stopped their conversation to gawk at the young woman before them. At the bottom of the stairs, she bent over to buckle one of her shoes that had come loose. As she bent over, her skirt rose even higher and the men were given a good view of the creamy flawlessness of her legs. Bruce's jaw dropped open, while Chuck had the goofiest smile on his face.

Just then, they heard the loud honking of a horn, just outside of the house.

"Oh, Toni is here," she said. "Mr. Hunt, Maddie is already in bed. Good night, gentlemen."

The men continued to gape, as they watched her every step from the stairs to the door until she left.

"Good Lord, man, when you told me you had a nanny for your niece, I was expecting Nanny McPhee. That is no Nanny McPhee," Bruce said.

"No wonder," Chuck said. "Explains a helluva lot. No wonder you don't want to go barhopping with us guys, again. You're at home, staring at that."

"Who is this Tony that came to pick her up? You're allowing some guy to take her out of your house?" Bruce slapped his head.

"I have not a clue who this Tony is. He always comes, just honks his horn and she goes rushing out of the house. I mean, this guy should have some manners to come knock on the door and ask for her like a proper gentleman," Owen said. "It's not like I can do anything about it. I am her employer. She looks after my niece. What she does on weekends is her business."

"Hmmm," Chuck said. "So if you are her boss and you don't have a say on who she dates, then you won't have a problem if I ask her out on a date, now, would you?"

Bruce chimed in. "Not if I ask her first, Chuck."

Owen's eyes darkened. "Neither of you guys is getting to ask Cristina out," he said, emphatically. "You're not good enough for her."

"Oh, so who is that person who is good enough for her?" Chuck enquired. "Is that person tall with blonde hair and blue eyes and is an environmental lawyer?"

"I didn't say it was me. I am just protecting the girl, while she is under my roof. I can't have you sharks swimming around," Owen said.

"So how come you haven't got round to this Tony person as yet? Do you think he is good enough?" Bruce asked.

"I haven't met Tony but I do know how you guys can be players and I don't want that for Cristina. But I have to admit that this Tony is irritating me," he said. "Let's stop talking about my nanny and watch this fight."

It was a little after midnight when Bruce and Chuck left. Owen headed up to his bedroom, leaving the lights on in the porch and in the living room, so Cristina would not come home in darkness.

He had a most restless night because he did not hear the sound of her bedroom door closing. Still, he managed to get some sleep and when he woke up at 7 a.m., he suspected that she had not come home. His suspicions were confirmed when he went downstairs and saw that the lights were still on in the living room. If Cristina had come home, she would have taken off those lights.

He was angry, even though he knew he had no right to be. She had slept out with this Tony guy.

He went to the kitchen and made himself some coffee and some breakfast for himself and Maddie. He needed to do something to keep his mind occupied until Cristina returned.

Cristina did not come back home until 10 a.m. that morning. She was not wearing the glitzy outfit she was wearing the night before and was clad in a jeans and a t-shirt.

"Good morning, Mr. Hunt," she said.

He grunted at her. She didn't expect that reaction.

"Any plans for the day?" she asked.

He let out a loud sigh. "Cristina, I know you are 22 years old and therefore, an adult. I am only your employer but I would appreciate that if you are going to spend the night out, you would call and say that you are alright. I was very worried about you."

"I am very sorry, Mr. Hunt. I just stayed the night at Toni's apartment," she said, innocently.

"At least have some courtesy for the people who care about you. I was worried sick about you. I don't want to be the one to tell your parents that something has happened to you," he said.

"Again, I am sorry, Mr. Hunt. The next time, I stay over at Toni's place, I will definitely call," she said.

"The next time?" he scoffed, before storming off to his study.

Cristina wondered what was wrong with Mr. Hunt. He seemed to be blowing this whole incident out of proportion. So she stayed over at her friend's house. What was the big deal? Maybe he needed to get laid, she thought. Since she had moved into the house, she had not seen Mr. Hunt go out on a date. She decided to make a lasagna for lunch. Maybe that would appease him.

Owen was still steaming. He knew he wasn't angry that she didn't call but more because she had stayed the night at another guy's house. The thought of some man making love to Cristina was something he did not want to imagine.

He was silently stewing, when he decided he was going on a date. He looked through his phone contacts. He decided to call Carole, a woman he had dated off and on for a couple of years. He gave her a call and asked her if she wanted to go out on a date tonight. She agreed, but said she was surprised to hear from him, given that she had not heard from him in three months. He apologized for that, saying that he was now guardian to his niece and he needed to get her properly settled.

When it was closer to lunchtime, he went back to the kitchen. Cristina was there, taking a lasagna out of the oven.

"Mr. Hunt, I made lasagna for lunch. Would you like some? I also made some salad," she said, brightly.

"Yes, thank you, Cristina," he said. "Just wanted to let you know that I have a date tonight."

He looked at her face to see her reaction. She gave him a bright smile. "That's good, Mr. Hunt. You should go out. I am more than happy to stay with Maddie."

He silently ate his lasagna. That was not the reaction he was hoping for.

Later that evening, as he left to go out on his date, she called out to him from the living room, "Have fun, Mr. Hunt."

He had a good time with Carole at the restaurant. They were both comfortable with each other. While they had dated and had slept with each other, it had never ever blossomed into a committed relationship between the two of them. He never understood why because Carole was an attractive woman but he had never felt the desire with her, the way he did when he looked at Cristina.

He decided to push Cristina out of his mind, so he brought Carole home that night. They were busy kissing as they came through his front door.

"Stop, stop," she said.

"Why?" he said, between kisses.

"There's a tiny girl asleep on your couch," Carole said.

He turned around. "Oh, Cristina. That is my niece's nanny. She is a grad student at NYU and she does her assigned readings down here. She sometimes falls asleep. Don't worry, I will just take her up to her bedroom."

Carole was surprised. He was going to take her up to her bedroom? She would have expected him to just wake up the girl and let her get her little self to her bedroom. She watched as Owen bent over and gently brushed the unruly curls off the girl's face, remove the book from her hand and pick her up in his arms.

Cristina murmured. Owen whispered, "Shhh! It's okay, Cristina." He started up the three flights of stairs and gently deposited her on her bed, pulling the covers over her body. He touched her cheek.

As he came down, he went back to Carole and started kissing her, again. She pulled away from him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Owen, you are a very handsome man, a wonderful lover and a great catch. A lot of women would love to sleep with you. But it is clear to me that I am just a poor substitute for the person you really want. After what I just witnessed, I am pretty sure that you have unexpressed emotions for someone else," Carole said.

Owen knew that Carole was right. "Do you want me to call you a cab?" he asked.

"No, it's alright. I called for one, already. Owen, don't you think you should tell her how you feel?" Carole said.

He sighed.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "That's my cab," Carole said. "Just think about it. It will eat you on the inside, if you don't." She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Owen."

After she left, he headed up to his bedroom and stared at Cristina's bedroom door. He turned away and went to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am feeling depressed and don't feel to write. Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate reading them.**


	5. Chapter 5 Thanksgiving

It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving and Owen was looking for Cristina to ask her about her plans for the holiday. He found her in the kitchen, reading the paper and having a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning, Cristina. How are you this fine Sunday morning?" he asked and sat down at the table.

"Morning, Mr. Hunt. Doing great," she said, smiling. "Maddie already had some cereal and she is up in her playroom."

"Good," he said. "I wanted to discuss Thanksgiving with you. Are you going to stay in the city or are you going to home to Virginia?"

"Oh, I have decided to stay in New York. I still have a couple of classes next week and then finals start the week after, so it doesn't make sense for me to lose all that time, traveling to Virginia and back," she said. "I will see my parents when I go home for Christmas."

"Oh, good, so you will be here for my annual Thanksgiving dinner party," he said. "Every year, since I was going to Columbia Law School, I have hosted a dinner party for all of my single friends, who are staying in the city and not traveling home to their parents' place. I realized it is kinda lonely to spend Thanksgiving by yourself, when you're far away from your family. So usually, it ends up being about 10 of us in the dining room."

"That's pretty awesome of you to do that," she said.

"Well, since you are not going home, I'm hoping that you can help me with the preparations. Usually, my sister Elizabeth, helped me but she's no longer here. It will be the first Thanksgiving without her," he said, wistfully.

"It will probably be hard on Maddie," Cristina said, thinking of her young charge. "And you, too."

"Yeah, I am glad you're here. Your presence will make it a little bit easier for Maddie. She loves you," Owen said.

"And I love her, too. I would be happy to help you with your preparations for the dinner," she said. "I guess we should go grocery shopping today."

"Yes, let me write my list down," Owen said, as he went to grab a piece of paper off the shopping list pad that was stuck on the refrigerator.

"Can my friend, Toni, come to the dinner? Family lives in California. Toni can't afford the ticket to go back home," Cristina asked.

It was a good thing that Owen's face was turned away from Cristina because she didn't see him cringe when she said Toni's name. He plastered a fake smile on his face and turned around. "Certainly, Cristina, you can invite your friend, Tony," he said, in an even voice.

"Oh, great," she said. "Let's get our list started. I love Thanksgiving."

"Me too," he said, thinking that it was really nice to have her there for the holiday. He sat down and they eagerly started their list.

* * *

><p>Preparations for the Thanksgiving dinner started the night before where they shared up the duties. Cristina was going to handle all of the pies, the green beans casserole, mashed potatoes and the salad. Owen was going to cook the turkey, the leg of lamb, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy and the butternut squash soup. They thought about doing brussel sprouts but who really likes brussel sprouts, anyway, so they nixed that idea.<p>

They both awoke early on Thanskgiving day to start the preparations and the cooking. Cristina put her hair up in a bun and put on an apron that said, "Kiss the Cook." He thought that she was really testing him with that apron.

Maddie volunteered to put together all of the place settings, after Owen put the linens and the large flower centerpiece on the table. She was very excited about the dinner and Owen was pleased about that. However, he was prepared for her to break down, when the realization would finally hit her that her mother would no longer be there to celebrate holidays with them, ever again.

Owen and Cristina worked arduously, that day. He found she looked absolutely adorable with flour on her face, when she was baking the pies. The turkey was a challenge for him, given that Elizabeth used to handle that monster every year. Their double ovens and stove were in constant use for that entire day. He found that they worked well as a team.

It was about 6 p.m. that their first guests started arriving. After that day of slaving in the kitchen, it was nice to get all dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. Cristina wore a red velvet dress, while Maddie wore a flouncy, pink dress. They both looked very pretty, Owen thought, and he felt that he didn't look too shabby himself.

Their guests included Owen's friends, Bruce and Chuck, and some other people from his office. Cristina was anxiously awaiting Toni's arrival so she could finally have someone she could chat with. After all, she didn't know any of Owen's friends all that well. Toni was the last to arrive.

"What happened?" Cristina asked. "You're the last person to get here."

"Aw, geez, sorry about that. I got stuck behind this slow-moving car that just refused to let me pass. So where is he?" Toni said.

"Who? My boss? He's over there. The blonde guy in the navy sweater," Cristina said, gesturing with her eyes.

"Oh my God. You have been holding out on me. You didn't tell me that your boss was prime A-grade hottie!" Toni shrieked. "You have to introduce me."

Her shriek drew Owen's notice. He looked across and saw Cristina chatting with this brunette girl. As far as he was aware, Cristina was only inviting Tony. Did she invite another friend?

He made his way across to Cristina and Toni. "Good evening. Cristina, is this another friend?"

"Mr. Hunt, this is my friend, Antonia Webber. Remember I told you that I was inviting my friend, Toni," Cristina said.

His face broke into a smile, when the realization dawned on him. "Toni! This is your friend, Toni!"

"Yes," she said, wondering what was wrong with Mr. Hunt. He was acting like if he had just solved a major mystery.

"Oh, you stayed at her place the other night," Owen said, nodding and smiling.

"Yes, I stayed at Toni's apartment the night I stayed out," she said.

"Very pleased to meet you, Toni. I hope you have a fun time with us, tonight," he said, shaking her hand. "I am going to mingle a bit with our other guests and leave you two lovely ladies to chat."

"Oh my God, Cristina. He even looks better close up," Toni said. "Why have you never said that you had such a gorgeous boss? Have you been saving him for yourself?"

"No," Cristina gave her an incredulous look. "He is my boss."

"Well, then, if you have no romantic inclinations towards him, I think I am going to give him my phone number," Toni said.

"What?" Cristina squeaked. "That would be the most awful idea ever."

"Well, you didn't call dibs on him and as far as I can tell, that makes him fair game," Toni said.

"You do know that he is 30 years old," Cristina said. "He is like six years older than you are."

"So? The man is in his finest prime," Toni said. "Is that your problem with him? You think that he is too old for you. Well, I am two years older than you and he is definitely not too old for me. He looks like he would be amazing in bed. I am going to give him my phone number."

Cristina shook her head at her friend. "I think I am going to check on Maddie and see how she is doing in the kitchen."

She found Maddie, sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by the food that they planned to serve. Maddie had long tears, streaming down her face.

"Hey, Maddie, what's the matter?" Cristina asked, as she sat down next to the little girl.

"I miss my mommy. Today is Thanksgiving and she's not here," Maddie cried.

"I know. I felt like that when my grandpa died," Cristina said. "He used to live with my family. Then, one day, he died in his sleep. I cried so much the first Christmas we were without him. But my mom said that Grandpa was looking down on me and would be unhappy that I was sad.

"She told me to remember all of the good things about Grandpa and that would make me smile. So we started talking about all of the funny stuff Grandpa used to do that would make us laugh and we started remembering and laughing. It made me feel better."

"So I just remember all of the good things about my mommy," Maddie said.

"Yeah, but she is not really gone, Maddie. She is still here in your heart," Cristina said, as she touched the little girl's chest. "She is always with you."

The little girl wiped away her tears. "I feel a little better, Cristina."

"Okay, whenever you're ready to face all of the people, we will go bring out all of the food and put it on the dining room table," Cristina said.

"I am ready," Maddie said. "What should we do first?"

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Owen had been in the kitchen, listening to their conversation. He had been looking for Maddie and did not want to disturb them. He loved how Cristina was able to empathize with Maddie and make her feel better. She really was a very good nanny. He stepped away, quietly, before they discovered his presence.

Maddie and Cristina laid out the table, with Cristina handling the heavy stuff and Maddie the lighter fare. They had neatly laid everything out and were going to ask the guests to join them in the dining room.

Cristina came out just in time to see Toni, chatting with Owen. It was clear that she was giving him her phone number as he was putting her digits into his phone. He looked up and caught the disturbed expression on Cristina's face. This was the first time he had ever seen her have any sort of reaction to seeing him with another woman. He was amused.

Cristina was certainly disturbed. If Toni and Mr. Hunt started dating and then they had some major fight, she would be caught in the middle between her boss and her friend. How awful would that be? She had warned Toni not to do it but clearly, Toni's lust for Cristina's boss was leading her astray. She made a sharp turn into the dining room, wondering whether it had been a mistake, inviting Toni to this dinner.

The dinner was an amazing success, food-wise. Everyone complimented the chefs on their magnificent meal. For Owen, it should have been a moment of triumph since it was the first year he had handled the turkey all by himself. Yet, he was very upset. That's because during the dinner, he could see his friend, Bruce, making moves on Cristina. Owen had already warned him not to come anywhere near Cristina, but it seemed his admonitions had been ignored.

Bruce was notorious for having a new girlfriend, every month and there was no way that Owen was going to let Cristina become Bruce's flavor of the month. He gave his friend some glowering looks, which Bruce chose to disregard.

After dinner, when everyone retired to the living room for coffee, Owen took Bruce aside. "What do you think you're doing?" Owen asked in a quiet but deadly voice.

"What are you talking about?" Bruce said, feigning innocence.

"Oh, come on, stop pretending. I am talking about Cristina. I do not want you making moves on Cristina," Owen said, still speaking in the same deadly tone.

"Whatever do you mean?" Bruce said. "Oh, come on, I am just doing what you wish you could be doing. I have seen the way you look at her. You want her but you're not doing anything about it. So why can't someone else like your good friend ask her out?"

"If you don't stop this, Bruce, we will come to blows," Owen said. "You do not have the best reputation when dealing with the ladies. Cristina is not going to become another notch on your bedpost."

"Whoa, dude," Bruce said. "Clearly, your feelings run deep for this girl. You are my friend and I will back off. But there is going to come a time, when someone comes along, and she is really going to like that person. What are you going to do, then? You have to do something about it now, bro."

"Thank you," Owen said, stiffly, as he walked off.

* * *

><p>Later, after all of the guests had left, Cristina was putting Maddie to bed. "Cristina, I am glad you're here," Maddie said. "You make everything seem better."<p>

"I'm glad I'm here, too," Cristina said, as she ruffled the little girl's hair and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Maddie."

Cristina went to her bedroom. She was feeling totally exhausted. She changed out of her dress, took off her make-up, brushed her teeth and lay on her bed. There was a small knock on her door. She got up and opened the door, knowing full well that it could only be Mr. Hunt.

"Cristina," he said. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done today. You were amazing, especially with Maddie."

"You're welcome, Mr. Hunt. I had a great time, even though it was a lot of work in the preparations," she said.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Cristina," he said. "Good night."

"Good night, sir," she said, as she closed the door.

He wanted to say something but he couldn't. He turned and went into his bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do most appreciate reading them. Sometimes, when I don't feel like writing, it spurs me on to do so.**


	6. Chapter 6 Christmas

Owen woke up at 6 a.m. to ensure that he would be up when Cristina left to go home for Christmas. It was Christmas Eve and though he wished she was going to stay with him and Maddie for Christmas, he knew she needed to see her family for the holidays. He went past the decorated living room, which he, Cristina and Maddie had decorated together.

Earlier that month, they had gone to New Jersey to the Christmas tree farm to buy a huge tree. With the townhouse's high ceilings, only a large tree would do. After an hour or so of looking, they found the perfect tree, which he had to cut down himself. They carried the big tree back to the city strapped on the top of his SUV. He went into the basement and gathered up all of the decorations. A lot of the decorations had special meaning for Owen, as many of them were from his childhood and reminded him of when he and Elizabeth were children. It was hard to think that it was only he and Maddie left in their family.

He did the taller parts of the tree, while Maddie decorated the lower parts and Cristina did the middle. Then, they decorated the fireplace and the staircase with garlands. Maddie put up the three stockings on the fireplace, one for each of them. Owen had ordered the stockings online and had their names hand-embroidered at the top of each stocking.

He looked at the stockings as he passed them on his way to the kitchen. Cristina would not be there when they took down the stockings on Christmas morning. He had all kinds of stocking stuffers that he had planned to put in them, Christmas Eve night. She would get her stocking after New Year's Day when she came back from her trip.

He found Cristina at the kitchen table, packing some snacks in a bag for her lengthy train trip to Virginia.

"Hey," he said. "Getting ready to leave?"

"I'm glad you're up. I have your Christmas presents to give you," she said.

"And I have yours," he said, giving her two small boxes. His present was a strand of pearls. As the woman in the jewelry store explained, every young woman should own a pearl necklace. Maddie's present to Cristina was a pair of pearl earrings to match the pearls that Owen had got for her.

"Thank you," she said, as she put the two boxes into her small suitcase. "These are yours." She handed him a large, rectangular shaped item and a smaller box.

"The large one is for you and the smaller one is for Maddie," she said. "Don't open them till tomorrow morning."

"I won't. I will put them by the tree," he said.

"I guess I am ready," she said. "I have a long trip ahead of me."

"So how many trains do you have to take?" he asked.

"I'm taking the subway to Penn Station and then I take the Amtrak to Union Station in Washington, DC and then the Metro to Vienna, Virginia. My little brother will pick me up at the train station," she said.

"That does sound long. Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at Penn Station?" he asked, hoping to lengthen the time he had with her before she left.

"No, you go back to bed. It's a chilly morning and you should be asleep," she said.

"Oh, before I forget, I have something else for you," he said, handing her an envelope. "It's your bonus. You are an incredible nanny."

She opened her envelope. It was a check for $2,500.

"Thank you, sir," she said, happily. That would help with paying for her books. She put it away in her handbag. "Well, I better get on my way."

He was astonished when she reached out and hugged him. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Hunt. I will see you next week."

He breathed in her strawberry-scented hair. She breathed in his light cologne and to her surprise, she found it strangely alluring. She felt a little uneasy about that, when they released their embrace.

"Bye, Cristina. Don't forget us," he grinned. Cristina dragged her small suitcase out of the house. He watched her walk away, until she disappeared into the subway station. He went back in and placed the presents she had given him next to the tree. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Maddie.

* * *

><p>It was a quiet Christmas Eve for Owen and Maddie. Maddie announced that she missed Cristina. He had to agree that he felt the same.<p>

They had been invited to Janelle's house for Christmas Eve dinner that night, so their time was occupied for the evening, without having thoughts of how much they missed Cristina. It had been a pleasant, enjoyable evening and it was only when they came home, that the absence of Cristina was again felt by the both of them.

That night, after stuffing all of the stockings, he headed upstairs to tuck Maddie in when he could have sworn that he heard Cristina's voice coming from Maddie's bedroom. He thought he was hearing things but he heard it again. He opened Maddie's door and was surprised to see her with his laptop computer.

"Hey, Maddie, what are you doing?" he asked.

"It's Cristina, she promised she would call me by Skype, so we're talking to each other," Maddie said. "I was telling her how much we missed her."

Owen eagerly joined his niece at the computer. "Hey, Cristina," he said with a big, foolish grin on his face. "I see you arrived in Virginia, safely."

"Yup," she said. "It took me a couple of hours but I got here."

"How is your family?" he asked.

"They are doing fine. I haven't seen them since August and we just had our Christmas Eve dinner," she said. "Roscoe licked me all over my face."

"Uncle Owen, you're hogging the computer," Maddie complained. "She's going to read to me, now." Maddie took out a copy of the book, "The Night before Christmas."

Cristina also took out a copy of the book but hers was clearly older and more beaten than the one Maddie had, an indication that the book was well read over the years.

"Are you ready, Maddie?" Cristina asked.

Maddie nodded, enthusiastically.

Cristina started, "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a …"

"Mouse," Maddie screamed, happily.

Then, Cristina continued, "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be….."

"There," Maddie shrieked. And so they went, with Cristina reading a line and Maddie finishing it off. Owen found he rather enjoyed the reading of "The Night Before Christmas" with the two of them. He was a little sad when the poem was finished.

"Well, that's it, Maddie. Good night, sleep tight," Cristina said.

"Good night, Cristina. I wish you were here," Maddie said.

"I wish you were here, too," Owen said, a little surprised that came out of his mouth. "Good night, Cristina."

"Good night, Mr. Hunt. Merry Christmas," Cristina said. Cristina and Maddie both clicked off and ended the conversation.

"You didn't tell me that Cristina was going to call," Owen said to Maddie, as he picked up his laptop and put it on the nightstand.

"Yeah, she promised she was going to read 'The Night Before Christmas' with me, just like Mummy used to do," Maddie said. "I miss Mummy. I miss Cristina, too."

"Yeah, me too," he said, as he tucked his niece in. He went to his bedroom and tried to get some sleep. For Christmas Day, they had been invited for breakfast, lunch and dinner at several different friends, so it was going to be a long day out for him and Maddie.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Owen was awakened by the banging on his bedroom door. He knew it was Maddie, eager to go downstairs and open the presents.<p>

"Uncle Owen, get up," she yelled. Owen groaned, put on his slippers and headed downstairs with Maddie.

"Look at all those presents," Maddie screamed. Owen joined Maddie on the floor and they both began to open their presents. There was the usual stuff of shirts, socks, ties, books, pens and even a robe. He watched Maddie being delighted by all the presents she got. She emptied her stocking on the floor and oohed and aahed at all of the loot.

He was deliberately leaving Cristina's presents for last. He handed Maddie her present and he took out the large, rectangular present. "Open yours first, Maddie," he said.

Maddie tore open the wrapping, eagerly. It was a doll, but not just any doll. The doll looked a lot like Maddie, with long brown, wavy hair and green eyes. "It looks just like me," Maddie shrieked. "I love it so much." She hugged the doll, tightly.

Owen started tearing off the paper off his present. From the back, it was clearly a picture or painting of some kind. The back of it was turned to him, so he did not see what it was, at first. He heard Maddie gasp.

"It's us, Uncle Owen," she said, jumping around. He turned around the painting. It was a watercolor painting of Owen and Maddie sitting on a park bench in Central Park. He could actually remember that moment, when Cristina took a picture of them. She had used that picture to create her painting. The girl was extremely talented, he thought.

"Where do you think we should put it, Maddie?" Owen asked.

"In the foyer," Maddie said. "Cristina will see it as soon as she comes home."

"That is a great idea," Owen said, as he took down a meaningless picture of flowers and placed Cristina's painting up. "That really looks good."

He heard the sound of his phone beeping. It was a message and a picture from Cristina. "Merry Christmas from Roscoe and me." The picture was of Cristina in red plaid flannel pajamas and a yellow Labrador with antlers on his head. She was wearing the pearl necklace and the pearl earrings in the picture. He smiled when he saw that and showed the picture to Maddie.

"She's wearing our presents," Maddie said, happily. "Send her back a message and tell her how much we love ours."

"I will," he said, as he texted back Cristina.

Christmas Day was excellent for both Maddie and Owen, as they spent the entire day out. By the time they came back from dinner, they were both exhausted. They had received more presents and had eaten very well. But the days after Christmas seemed like a letdown after that high.

The week after Christmas, leading up to New Year's, felt a little bit lonely. Cristina was still in Virginia and was not expected back until after New Year's Day. It seemed like a very long week for both Maddie and Owen.

On New Year's Eve, Owen decided to go out with Bruce and Chuck and head down to Times Square to watch the ball drop. He had earlier dropped off Maddie at Janelle's house, where she was going to spend the night. He was tying his shoelaces, when he heard the front door open.

Was there a burglar in the house, he thought, as his heart started to race. He picked up a baseball bat and quietly went down the stairs. It was then that he saw Cristina in the foyer, staring at the picture she had painted.

She saw him on the stairs and said, "You put it up." She had a single tear, rolling down her cheek.

"Of course, I put it up," he said. "It's beautiful. Thank you very much. It was the best present I have ever got."

He added, "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back until after New Year's Day."

"My parents were starting to drive me crazy and I missed you guys," she said. "I also wanted to go down to Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Never did that before." She really had missed them, tremendously, more than she would have liked to admit. As much as she loved her own family, she also missed the family she had left in New York.

"By coincidence, that's where I am heading. I am meeting Bruce and Chuck down there," he said. "I would be honored if you would join us."

"Yeah, I would like that. Let me just put my suitcase in my bedroom and we can leave," she said.

"Let me get that for you," he said, grabbing the suitcase and running up the stairs with it.

He came back down, smiling. "You're ready?" he asked.

"Yup," she said, putting on her coat, scarf and hat. He also did the same. They stepped out and he closed the door behind them.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. If you like my stories, I would appreciate your comments.**


	7. Chapter 7 New Year's Eve

They took the subway down to Times Square. It didn't make sense to take the SUV when there were so many parking restrictions. There were lots of people, it seemed, that were heading down to Times Square. The subway was packed and everyone was jammed close to one another.

They couldn't get any seats and were forced to hold on to a pole. Owen put Cristina in front of him, as they held on the pole, since everyone else was crammed in around them.

"It's like sardines in here," she said.

"Well, everyone is heading down to Times Square. Just something we have to endure," he said.

When they got there, it was like a mass exodus from the train station. Everyone was moving in the same direction like a school of fish.

"Cristina," Owen said. "Stay close to me. We're going to meet Bruce and Chuck."

"Okay," she said, looking around. She was a bit apprehensive because this was the first time she had ever gone down to Times Square during New Year's Eve.

They made their way through the crowds. Owen said her name several times to ensure that she was still following him. She answered to establish her presence.

"Cristina," he said. "Just a little way again." He was met with silence. He turned around. She was nowhere to be seen. Good grief, had he lost her? He slipped into full panic mode.

He started calling her name, "Cristina! Cristina!"

"I'm here," he heard her voice say. But he still did not see her.

"Cristina!" he called out again. "Here!" she said, as she fought her way between two burly guys. He pulled her through.

"Gosh, I thought I had lost you. I think you should hold my hand because I don't want to lose you in this crowd, again. I mightn't be able to find you a second time," he said. He held out a gloved hand and she placed her mittened hand into his.

He finally spotted Bruce and Chuck at their appointed meeting place. Interestingly, Owen noted, they were not alone and were accompanied by two women. One was a blonde and the other, a redhead. Owen had never seen these women before in his life.

"Great," Bruce said. "You finally got here. It took you long enough, Hunt." He noticed Cristina behind Owen and that Owen was holding her hand. "And you brought Cristina with you. Hello there, Cristina. I have not seen you, since Thanksgiving. How have you been?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "I am fine. How are you?"

Bruce was about to say something a little on the saucy side to her, when he noticed Owen's stony-faced expression and changed his mind. "Ah, well, let me introduce you to these two lovely ladies. This is Sarah and that is Jessica and this is Owen and Cristina."

Sarah, the blonde said, "Nice to meet you." Jessica, the redhead nodded, "Always good to meet new people on New Year's Eve."

"So how do you know Bruce and Chuck?" Owen asked.

"Oh, we just met them, an hour ago," Jessica said. "And we became fast friends, already." She laughed, loudly, indicating that she had started the drinking from quite early.

"So are we going to grab something to eat?" Owen asked.

"Yup, we have these passes to this restaurant," Bruce said. "Okay ladies, will you be joining us?"

"Certainly," Sarah said. "Certainly not going to turn down an opportunity for food and a clean restroom."

They all headed down to Shean's, a pub/restaurant and were fortunate enough to get a booth, when another group left. The place was already packed with people. It was a tight squeeze with Owen, Cristina and Bruce on one side and Sarah, Chuck and Jessica on the other side of the booth. Cristina was carded at the door and she felt a little embarrassed, since she was the only one who was asked.

"Okay, let's just get some beers. Ladies, do you want wine?" Chuck asked. The women all assented. They ordered their food and they spent about an hour and a half, eating their meal. There were many televisions in the pub, where they could watch all of the festivities going on in Times Square.

"There is Anderson Cooper with Kathy Griffin on CNN," Chuck said. "That broad is funny. Kind of crude, sometimes, in her comments but she is funny."

"I like Anderson Cooper," Cristina said. "The silver hair, the piercing blue eyes. He gives off that sexy, sophisticated vibe." The other women agreed.

"You do," Owen asked. "You like men with blue eyes?" He blinked his blue eyes at her. Bruce chuckled, quietly, because he knew exactly what Owen was hinting at.

"I like blue eyes well enough, Mr. Hunt," Cristina said. She turned away from Owen. Mr. Hunt was making her feel a little nervous, she thought.

"Good Lord, do you still call him Mr. Hunt?" Bruce asked. "I thought you would have gone past all the formalities now. You've been living in his house for about four months, now."

"Well, he is my employer," Cristina said. "And I have to give him his due respect."

"He's your employer?" Jessica asked. "I thought you two were a couple. You look like a couple."

"No," Cristina said. "I am the nanny to his six-year-old niece, Maddie. I take care of her after I come home from NYU."

"You go to NYU? What are you studying?" Sarah asked.

"I am a grad student in Psychology," Cristina said.

"Well, honey, you have got one hot employer. I don't know if I would have been able to live in the same house with such a handsome employer," Jessica said, looking at Owen, admiringly. Owen blushed under the scrutiny.

"Hey, girls, Bruce and I are still here," Chuck said. "We're just as eligible as Owen."

"Hmm," Sarah said. "Ladies, let's head to the restroom." Cristina, Sarah and Jessica left for the ladies' room.

As they disappeared, Bruce turned to Owen, "So you haven't made your move as yet?"

"Don't you think that I have thought about this?" Owen said. "She is an incredible nanny and Maddie loves her. If we became involved in a romantic sense, it will irrevocably change our relationship dynamic, forever. How can she remain our nanny if she and I are together as a couple? I don't want to take away from Maddie, the nanny that she loves."

"So you sit in your house, watching this woman that you want right in front of you, and suffer on the inside," Chuck said. "She doesn't even seem to be aware about how you feel."

"That about sums it up," Owen said, sighing.

"You are clearly a better man than me," Bruce said, as he slapped Owen on the back. "I would not have been able to stand it."

The ladies returned and the men got up to go the restroom. When the men returned, they left the safe confines of the restaurant to face the madding crowds on Times Square.

Cristina was really excited to see some of the performances. They saw Ryan Seacrest hosting his New Year's Eve countdown and Bruce remarked that they probably had to put a pound of hairspray in his hair so that it wouldn't move in the wind.

Owen was rather gratified to see the exhilaration on Cristina's face. He had been down to Times Square, many times for the dropping of the ball and he was getting to see it through the eyes of someone, who had never seen it before. It made it all seem new and thrilling. He watched her as she mouthed the words to some of the performances and danced to the music. She looked at him with shining eyes.

"Are you having a great time, Cristina?" he shouted above the noise.

"The best, Mr. Hunt!" she screamed, happily.

At two minutes to 12, the excitement was building in the square for the countdown. "Do you have a good view, Cristina?" Owen asked.

"Not really," she said. There was a large man in front of her, who was blocking her view.

Owen moved her and positioned her in front of him, so she could see the ball drop. "I am so excited," she said.

Soon enough, the countdown began and the ball began its descent. Owen, Cristina and everyone around them joined in, "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." As the ball reached its final destination, the Square erupted into a million screaming voices, "Happy New Year!" Confetti exploded into the air and covered the crowds, who all began to kiss one another.

Bruce started kissing Jessica and Chuck was kissing Sarah. Owen watched his friends, tonguing it out with women they had just met a couple of hours ago. It was clear that these women had latched on to Bruce and Chuck, so they could ensure that they had someone to kiss when the clock struck midnight.

Owen bent down to give Cristina a kiss on the cheek. She looked up to give him a kiss on his cheek. By accident, their lips smacked together for a full four seconds.

They pulled back, when they realized their error. "Oops," he said. "I meant to kiss your cheek."

"Me too," she said, blushing furiously. She couldn't understand the rush of emotions that she was feeling at the moment. Whatever fireworks were going off around Manhattan to celebrate the coming of the New Year, some of them were exploding inside of her. She didn't understand it and it confused her why she was feeling this way.

Owen also felt the sparks, when his lips touched her pink, full lips. They were even softer than he had imagined. The kiss had made him even hungrier for the girl. If circumstances were different and he was not her employer, he would have continued and deepened that kiss, until their tongues were entwined together.

They both pushed away whatever emotions they were feeling to join a spontaneous chorus of Auld Lang Syne, which had broken out among the folks around them. Owen, Cristina, Bruce, Sarah, Chuck and Jessica hung around Times Square for another hour, until they all decided it was time to go home.

It was obvious that Bruce and Chuck were going to get lucky for the night, as they were accompanying the two women back to their apartment in Chelsea. Owen and Cristina headed back to the subway to go to Greenwich Village.

Their trip back to their townhouse was mainly in silence. They really didn't know what to say to each other. As soon they reached home, they both just went to their respective rooms.

"Good night, Mr. Hunt," she said, as she went into her bedroom. "Good night, Cristina," he said, before he turned into his bedroom. That was all they said to each other, since their accidental kiss.

Cristina lay in her bed, still perplexed about the night's events. Despite what she was feeling, she had to be strong about it. She could not fall for her boss because of the mere reason that he was her boss and she needed this job. She buried her head in her pillow.

Owen also lay in his bed, re-thinking what had transpired that night. His feelings had even become clearer to him. It was not infatuation. He had fallen deeply in love with this girl.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. If you like my stories, I would appreciate if you leave your comments. Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 8 The flu

Owen headed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. He was surprised to find himself alone in the kitchen. Usually, he was the last to come down the stairs, every morning, with Maddie and Cristina, already having their breakfast.

He waited alone for 15 minutes, wondering what was keeping Cristina and Maddie. He looked at his watch; they would have to leave soon if they were both going to make it to school on time.

After having his coffee, he went back up the stairs to find out what was keeping them. He knocked first on Maddie's door. He heard a small whimper, so he entered.

"Maddie, what's wrong?" he asked, as he rushed forward to her bed.

"I don't feel well. I think I am sick," Maddie said. He felt her forehead; she definitely felt feverish. He wondered why Cristina had not checked on Maddie that morning.

"I will be back, Maddie," he promised the little girl. He was going to check on Cristina.

He knocked on Cristina's door, and he heard a soft groan.

"Cristina, I am coming in," he said, loudly in case she was not decently dressed. He also found her in bed, her long, dark curls spread across her pillow.

"Cristina, what's wrong?" he asked. He leaned forward and felt her forehead. She, too, felt feverish.

"I woke up this morning with a massive headache and a fever," she said. "I haven't been able to get out of bed at all." She sniffled. "All my joints hurt and I am getting the chills."

"It seems that both you and Maddie may have picked up the flu bug," he said "Alright, I will call the doctor to see if he can come by and check the both of you."

Well, it seemed that he could not go to work that day with both Maddie and Cristina being ill. He called his secretary and asked her to cancel his appointments and to courier some of his case files to his house. He was going to work at home.

He also called his friend Dr Brian Grey to make a house call. "Brian, I know you rarely make house calls but please do this for me," Owen pleaded. "It's easier for you to come here than for me to get them dressed and come to your office. You could do it, even before you get to your office, this morning." His friend, Brian, grudgingly agreed to come over and check on the sick people at Owen's house.

He changed out of his suit and put on some casual clothes. It was going to be a day when he was going to have to play nursemaid, as well as get some work done in his home office. He heard the doorbell at his front door. "Ah," he thought, "Brian is prompt."

He opened the door to let Brian in.

"I am only doing this because we were frat brothers," Brian said. "Haven't seen you in ages. How have you been, man?" The two men hugged.

"Okay. How are the wife and child?" Owen asked his former college buddy.

"Doing well. We have a second one on the way. So my little family will soon be complete. What about you? Have you found that special girl as yet?" Brian asked.

"I think so but I don't think she has noticed me as yet," Owen said. They both started walking up the stairs.

"Impossible. Big, strong, strapping, handsome man like Owen Hunt. If a pipsqueak like me can land a pretty woman, I am more than certain that you can find a suitable spouse," Brian said.

They first went into Maddie's room.

"Hello, Maddie," Brian said. "I am a friend of your Uncle Owen's and I am a doctor. I have come to check you out." He started examining Maddie and quickly, came to the conclusion. "Yup, she has the flu. Where is the other patient?"

"She's in the next room," Owen said. They left Maddie's room and Owen knocked on Cristina's door.

"Cristina," he said. "I've brought the doctor."

"Okay," was her weak response. They entered her room to find Cristina crawling her way back from the bathroom.

"Cristina," Owen said, alarmed. "What are you doing?"

"I just went to the bathroom and my head started spinning, so it seemed easier to crawl back to bed," Cristina said.

"Oh, goodness," he said, as he picked her up off the floor and carefully deposited her on to her bed, pulling the covers over her. Brian noted the gentleness with which Owen did this.

"This is Dr. Grey," Owen said. "He's come to check you out."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Grey. A doctor that makes house calls. So rare these days," Cristina said. "I would get up and shake your hand but I don't think I can do that at the moment."

"It's okay, young lady," Brian said. "Yes, it is rare that doctors make house calls these days but I am doing my friend, Owen, a favor here. We were frat buddies in college. I was one of the seniors, who approved his entry into the fraternity, when he was just a gangly freshman."

He gave Cristina a thorough examination. "Yup," he said. "Another flu victim, here. Did you not take them to get their flu shots?"

"No," Owen said, sheepishly. "I forgot."

They left the room and headed downstairs. Brian said. "I will give you a shot, now. Hopefully, it will keep you from coming down with the flu. But there is no guarantee, given that you have already been exposed to the virus. Here, rub your arm with this."

Brian then dug into his bag and pulled out a syringe and a vial. He filled the syringe and as he gave Owen the shot, he said. "You've found yourself in quite a pickle, haven't you?"

"If you mean with the two of them, coming down with the flu at the same time and leaving me as the only one to take care of them, then that's true." Owen said.

"No, I don't mean that. She's the one. Your nanny. The one who hasn't noticed you as yet?" Brian said.

"Is it that obvious?" Owen asked, shaking his head.

"I know how it is. I fell for the receptionist at our private practice. When we first met, she never even noticed my pathetic attempts to catch her attention. She just used to treat me, professionally," Brian said. "It was awful."

"So how did she get her to finally notice you?" Owen asked.

"Well, I became her friend. I listened to her. I was the shoulder she could cry on, when some stupid guy broke her heart. One day, I got tired of listening to her, lamenting about some idiot, and I just exploded. I told her that instead of dating these morons, why was it that she couldn't see what was right in front of her and then, I walked off on her," Brian said. "I think it was then, she started looking at me in a different light. She was the one, who asked me out. And here we are, now, having our second baby."

"Well, that worked out well for you. I just don't know how this is going to work out for me, though," Owen said.

"Well, here is a prescription for the both of them. Good luck with the young lady," Brian said. "Don't give up hope. I think she will notice what a great guy you are. She just has to see you in a different light. And if not, there are dozens of women, who would be willing to make you their own."

"That's the problem, I don't want dozens of women," Owen said. "I just want one."

"Okay, then, heading to the office. If either of them worsens, give me a call," Brian said. "But it should be okay with medication."

"Thanks, Brian," he said. He showed Brian out, before walking to the pharmacy to get medicine for his two sick housemates.

For the next five days, he stayed at home, tending the two of them. He made them soup, kept them hydrated, supervised their medication and let them get lots of rest. They seemed much better by the fifth day.

It was just as well, his throat was starting to feel sore, he had a case of the sniffles and his joints were aching. The flu shot that he got from Brian came too late to help him. He had already been infected. He had the flu.

He called Brian, who dropped off a prescription, which Cristina filled at their local pharmacy. It was now Cristina's turn to take care of him. He had taken such good care of her that she wanted to do the same for him. Cristina was surprised at how well he took care of her. He had treated her with such thoughtfulness and kindness, while she was ill. Now it was her turn to do the same for him.

He was having a fevered sleep, so she decided to stay in the room with him, in case he needed anything. She sat in a chair and watched him sleep. He really was a handsome man, she thought, as she looked at his strong profile. She had felt a little uneasy in his presence, since their accidental kiss on New Year's Eve. Neither had mentioned the kiss after that night and they just pretended nothing had happened, even though she knew she felt something more than she should have.

He possessed a gentleness that belied his rather strapping exterior, she thought. He would make some woman a fine, caring husband; she hoped that when he got married, it would be somebody who would take good care of Maddie. She hoped that he would find a woman who deserved a man like him. Those were her last thoughts before she fell asleep in the chair.

Owen opened his eyes, when the rays of sunlight hit him on his face. He knew it was morning. His body seemed cooler and his headache had disappeared. His fever seemed to have been broken. He looked around the room and saw Cristina's small body curled up in a chair. She had slept in the same room with him. He smiled.

He called out to her in a hoarse voice, "Cristina." He needed some water.

She stirred at the sound of his voice.

"Hey, good morning, Mr. Hunt," she said. "How are you feeling? You weren't doing too well last night. You had a high fever and you had chills."

"I think that my fever is broken. Can I get some water?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, as she poured him a glass from a pitcher on the nightstand. "Are you hungry? I will go make some breakfast."

"Maybe just some fruit and cereal," he said. "Just something light."

"No problem," she said, as she headed downstairs to make him his breakfast. She fixed it up in a jiffy and brought it up for him.

"Thank you, Cristina," he said. "Especially for staying with me, last night."

"That's okay. I am sure you would have done the same for me," she said. "I am going to check on Maddie, now. I will bring your medicine after you finish your breakfast."

"Okay," he said, as he watched her leave the room. She cared enough about him to stay, while he was ill. It brought him a great measure of comfort.

As she left the room, she was glad she had stayed with him. If only she could get rid of feeling more than she should for this man. Then, life would go back to normal, she thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	9. Chapter 9 Gabe

She sat staring at him, from across the breakfast table. He really was a handsome man, she though, with that profile. She examined his nose, his lips and even that scar between his eyes. He wasn't a pretty boy but a man's man. She wondered what his lips would taste like in a real kiss. A four-second kiss like what she had with him on New Year`s Eve had not been enough.

"Stop it, Cristina," she thought. "Stop it, the man doesn't even notice you, anyway. Get a hold of yourself. You need to get out of this house or you will go batty, staring at him."

He looked across at her and wondered what she was thinking. She looked to be a little lost in thought.

"Cristina?" he said, hoping to break her out of her reverie.

"Sorry, Mr. Hunt. I was just thinking," she said. "Is it okay I go over to Toni's apartment? You and Maddie will be alright?"

"Sure, it is Saturday and it is your day off, so you can do whatever you wish. Maddie and I will be just fine," he said. "I thought I would take her to the zoo, today."

"Alright," she said, picking up her breakfast dishes and carrying them to the sink to wash.

As he watched her clean her dishes, he felt a little let down because he had wanted to ask her if she wished to join them on their zoo adventure but it seemed that she had other plans.

"Well, okay then. I will see you later. I am headed out now," she said. The reason that Cristina was headed out to Toni's place was she needed to talk to someone about her crush on her boss, someone who would be able to talk some sense into her. She really could not be mooning over her boss. It was just stupid that she could be thinking about her boss in that way, she thought.

* * *

><p>Cristina crawled into bed next to Toni. "So why are you bothering me, this morning?" Toni said, yawning. She had hoped to sleep in late, until Cristina came knocking on her door and woke her up.<p>

"I have a major problem. I think I have a crush on my boss," Cristina said.

"Finally, I was wondering when you were going to notice that he was a major hottie," Toni said.

"Yes, but it is not an ideal situation. I work for the man. He pays me good money to look after his niece. I can't be crushing on him," Cristina said. "Besides, I am sure he doesn't even think of me, that way. He doesn't even notice me. I mean, why would he? I am not like the sophisticated career women he meets every day on his job. I am just a lowly grad student."

"Yeah, I don't think he would date women our age," Toni said. "Remember I gave him my phone number last Thanksgiving. Never heard from him. He just is not interested in girls like us. We're not his type."

"You are probably right. Why am I fooling myself in thinking that he would ever notice me, anyway?" Cristina sighed.

"You know what you need. You need a distraction. Some hot guy to grab your attention, so you would stop mooning over your boss," Toni said. "Remember that cute guy, who just joined our Org Psych class. The one with the dark hair and blue eyes, who was sitting next to you. What's his name, again?"

"Oh, him. Gosh, he is a cutie," Cristina said. "Kinda reminds me of Tom Welling. His name was Gabe Bailey."

"Man, he is hot," Toni said. "He is a perfect distraction."

"I guess you're right," Cristina giggled. "He certainly seems more to our speed, than my boss."

The two girls laughed.

* * *

><p>Owen had spent a very pleasant morning at the zoo with Maddie, then they had lunch and then went to a movie. By the time, they got home, it was already 4 p.m. The house was quiet, so it appeared that Cristina was not yet back home.<p>

"Maddie, why don't you take a nap? It has been a long day," Owen said to his niece.

"Yeah, I am going to my room. Where is Cristina? I haven't seen her all day," Maddie asked.

"She said this morning that she was going over to a friend's house. She must still be there. Don't worry, she will be home, soon," Owen told his niece, as he watched her go up the stairs.

He went to the kitchen. He was going to prepare a light supper for Maddie and himself. When she woke up from her nap, she would be hungry. Then, he heard the doorbell. He wondered who it was. He wasn't expecting anybody and it wasn't Cristina because she would have had her own key. He was in no mood for any salesmen at his door.

He stared out of his peephole. It was a good-looking young man with dark hair and blue eyes. He had never seen him before in his life. Owen opened the door.

"Good afternoon, sir," the young man said. Owen wondered if this was one of Cristina's friends.

"Good afternoon," Owen said. "I hope you're not selling anything because I am not interested."

"No, sir," the young man said. "I am Gabe Bailey, one of Cristina's classmates from school."

"Oh, okay, how can I help you?" Owen said. The young man dug into his knapsack and pulled out a textbook.

"She left her book in class, yesterday and I am just dropping it off. Her address was on the inside cover. Is she at home?" Gabe asked, trying to look behind Owen, in the hope that he would spot Cristina. Owen noticed that the boy was trying to see past him and effectively blocked the young man's view.

"No, she is not at home. Thank you for the book. I will give it to her. Will that be all?" Owen asked, taking the book from Gabe.

"Well, just make sure and tell her that Gabe brought the book for her. Gabe Bailey," Gabe said. With that, Owen closed the door. He put the book down on the side table in the foyer.

"Gabe Bailey, my foot," Owen said, as he went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

* * *

><p>Cristina did not show up until about 6 p.m. She noticed her book on the foyer table. She picked it up and headed to the kitchen. Owen and Maddie were there, having their dinner.<p>

"Hey," Cristina said.

"Hey, yourself," Owen said, giving her a big smile. "Are you hungry? I made dinner."

"No, it's okay. I grabbed something before I came home. I noticed my book on the table in the foyer. What was it doing there?" Cristina asked, showing him the book.

"Apparently, you left it in your class yesterday and someone dropped it off for you. His name was Gabe something or the other," Owen said, deliberately messing up the boy's name.

"Gabe Bailey?" Cristina asked, a smile coming over her face.

"Yeah, that's him," Owen reluctantly admitted.

"Oh, okay. Well, I am going upstairs, now," Cristina said. She was going to call Toni and tell her that Gabe had come to the house. What were the odds of that, given that she and Toni had just been discussing him earlier that day?

She ran up to her room and turned on her laptop to give a quick check of her Facebook page. She had a couple of messages. One of the messages was from Gabe Bailey.

She opened it, "Hey, Cristina, I dropped off your book that you forgot in class yesterday. I hope you got it. Gabe."

She wrote back. "Yes, thanks. Thank you for bringing it over."

There was an immediate response from Gabe. "No problem. Who's that old guy?"

She answered, "That's my boss. I am a nanny. I take care of his niece."

Gabe: "Oh, okay. I was wondering if you would like to go grab something to eat tonight and chat."

Cristina thought about it for a moment. She really wasn't hungry but she didn't mind going out with Gabe.

So she wrote back: "Yeah, sure. Casual, right?"

He answered: "Yup. I will come by around 8 p.m."

She said: "Good, I will be ready. Bye."

She could not believe it. She got a date for the night. She had less than two hours to get ready. She ran into her closet. It was a casual thing, so she pulled out a pair of boyfriend jeans and a pretty sweater and laid them on the bed. She took out a pair of boots to complete the outfit. That should do it, she thought. She decided to give Toni a quick call.

"Guess what?" she said, as Toni answered.

"I don't know. You won the lottery and you're taking me on a world cruise," Toni said.

"Noooo. Gabe Bailey was at the house today," Cristina said, giggling.

"You're kidding, and we were just discussing how hot he was today. What did he want?" Toni exclaimed.

"He dropped off a book that I forgot in class, yesterday. But that is not the best part," Cristina said.

"You're killing me here. What is the best part?" Toni asked.

"He sent me a message on Facebook and now we're going out on a date," Cristina said. "I am excited."

"Whoa, that was fast. Why don't these things ever happen to me? I always have some loser, trying to ask me out," Toni said.

"Anyway, gotta go now. Going to jump in the shower, put on my make up and get ready," Cristina said.

"Alright, girl. Lots of details tomorrow, okay. Bye," Toni said and hung up.

* * *

><p>Around 8 p.m., the doorbell rang. Owen was sitting in the living room, reading. He got up and checked his peephole. It was the same young man from this afternoon. Good grief, the boy was persistent, Owen thought. He opened the door.<p>

"Good evening, sir," Gabe said.

"Good evening. She did get the book, you know," Owen said, hoping that was all he wanted.

"No, sir. I am here to pick up Cristina. We're going out," Gabe said. Owen did not even have time to react, when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned around to see her and she looked very pretty. Her ebony curls cascaded down past her shoulders.

"Hey, Gabe," Cristina called out to him.

"Hi, Cristina," Gabe said. "Are you ready?" The boy had a huge smile on his face. Owen did not.

"Yes, just going to grab my coat," Cristina said, taking her coat out of the closet and putting it on. "Mr. Hunt, we're just going to grab something to eat and I shouldn't be out too late."

She stepped out of the house and Owen watched as Gabe opened the car door for her. He shut the front door and leaned against it. He knew the time had come when she could be interested in someone.

He closed his eyes. He wondered if he had just lost his chance with her by not saying how he felt. He sighed and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate reading them. It's important you let me know what you think because it gives me ideas and helps in the writing process.**


	10. Chapter 10 Valentine's Day

Owen hated and loved the weekend. He hated Saturdays because Cristina went out with Gabe on that day. But he loved Sundays because that day belonged to Owen and Maddie as Cristina would spend the entire day with them. They would go out for brunch and an early movie and then to the bookstore to get the newest books. Sometimes, they went ice-skating in Central Park. Then, they would come home in the evenings and Owen and Cristina would prepare dinner and they would have a quiet meal, all together. Yes, he really loved Sundays. And truth be told, so did Cristina.

Owen regarded Gabe as an interloper into his family life, even though he knew he had no right to feel this way. And as the weeks passed, he grew more and more anxious that Cristina could actually be falling in love with Gabe. But the problem, from Owen's perspective, was that there was nothing to hate about Gabe. Even Maddie mentioned that she thought Cristina's boyfriend was really cute and nice to her. He was polite and respectful to Owen, whenever he showed up at the door to pick up Cristina.

He was always uneasy whenever Gabe showed up on Saturday night for his usual date with Cristina. Tonight was not any different. When he heard the doorbell ring, he opened the door for the young man.

"Good evening, Mr. Hunt," Gabe said. "I am here to pick up Cristina." As if on cue, Cristina came rushing down the stairs.

"Hey, Gabe," she said. Then, she put on a coat, waved goodbye to Owen and then, she and Gabe disappeared into the night. Whenever she left to go out on a date with Gabe, he always felt that she took a piece of his heart with her. And it hurt.

As Gabe and Cristina drove away, he turned to her, "I don't think your boss likes me very much."

"Why do you say that? He hasn't said anything to me," Cristina said.

"I have been very polite to him, whenever I encounter him," Gabe said. "I make every effort to do so."

"Well, you do call him 'the old guy'. Maybe he knows that," Cristina said.

"I have never said that to his face, only to you. Unless you have been selling me out," Gabe said, taking her hand into his.

"No, I really don't discuss you with him. It doesn't feel right," she said, aware that she still had some deep-seated unresolved feelings about her boss.

"Well, okay, then. I guess I would just have to live with him, giving me the evil eye," Gabe said. "I guess he probably thinks that I am not good enough for you."

"Well, he is a little over-protective," Cristina said. "Maybe, that's it." She said this to Gabe but in reality, she wasn't sure if that was the reason.

Other than her weekly dates with Gabe, life at the Hunt household continued to be relatively unchanged. Owen would drop Cristina and Maddie off to their respective schools and have dinner and conversation with them in the evenings, when he came home from work. He did not think about Gabe much until Saturday nights, when the young man would appear at his door. Especially since Sundays was his.

* * *

><p>Valentine's Day was the next holiday on the calendar. In fact, it was today. He decided to give Cristina flowers. He ordered a dozen long stem pink roses, which he was going to have delivered at the house, when Cristina came home from school in the evening. He found out from the florist that pink roses could mean "heart-felt appreciation" and did not carry the heavy connotation of "love" that red roses conveyed. If he could have, he would have shown her how he really felt by buying a room full of red roses. But for now, pink was fine. He decided to also get Maddie a small box of Godiva chocolates, so she wouldn't feel left out.<p>

Maddie was excited about Valentine's Day. In her first grade class, the assignment was to create Valentine's Day cards for a classmate, as well as her parents. Since she didn't have parents, she was going to do cards for her uncle and her nanny. It was just as well, they were like her parents and she loved them the most in the world. She did one card for her classmate, that icky boy, Joey, whose name she had pulled out of the teacher's hat. She didn't care much about making his card but she took great care in making the cards for her uncle and her nanny.

For her Uncle Owen, she drew a big red heart with a large white bow and then wrote "I love you with all of my heart" on the inside of the card. For Cristina, she cut out the card in the shape of a heart, colored it pink and used silver glitter on it. She wrote in the card, "I love you like a mummy." She had made sure to write it out on plain paper to have her teacher check that she got all of the spelling right, before writing her words into her cards.

She was very pleased with her work. She showed her teacher, who said they were beautiful. She was so excited to show them her work. When she got home that evening, she opened her school bag and presented Cristina with her card.

"For me?" Cristina said. "I am so honored."

Maddie was jumping around. "Open it, Cris," she said. Cristina smiled at her young charge. She opened the envelope and found the pink heart-shaped card in it. She opened it and read the words.

"This is so beautiful, Maddie," Cristina said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Why are you crying?" Maddie said in an alarmed tone, as she noticed Cristina's tears.

"Because I am happy, Maddie," Cristina said. She took the little girl in her arms and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Maddie."

"I love you, Cristina. You are the bestest nanny in the whole world," Maddie said. Just then, the doorbell rang. Cristina checked the peephole and it appeared to be a delivery man with two boxes in his hand – one long, rectangular box and one small box. She opened the door.

"I have a delivery for Cristina Yang and Maddie Hunt," the delivery guy said. Cristina nodded and the man handed her the boxes, plus a delivery note to sign. She excitedly closed the door.

"Maddie, we got presents," Cristina said. "I wonder who it is from." She read the card. "Oh, they are from your Uncle Owen." She handed the small box to Maddie, who ripped open the paper.

"Chocolates!" the little girl screamed. "I love chocolates!" She immediately scooped up a truffle in her hand and bit into it. "Have one, Cristina."

Cristina opened the box and breathed in the fragrance of the pink roses. "Look, Maddie, your Uncle Owen sent me flowers for Valentine's Day. Wasn't that nice of him? Let's put them in a vase." She stuffed a chocolate in her mouth, found a vase in the kitchen, arranged the pink roses and placed them on the side table in the foyer. He would see them as soon he came in.

"That looks good, Maddie," Cristina said. The little girl agreed, nodding. She couldn't talk because her mouth was filled with chocolate.

The doorbell rang, again. "Ooh, could this be more presents?" Cristina asked. She looked out of the peephole. "It's only Gabe." She opened the door and he stepped in the house.

"Hello, my sweet," he said. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Hey, Gabe, happy Valentine's day to you too. I didn't see you in school, today," she said.

"That's because I was out shopping for this," he said, handing her a small jewelry box. She opened it up, it was a necklace with a gold heart pendant and one small diamond.

"Thank you," she said, giving him a hug.

"I was expecting more than a hug," he said. She gave him a small peck on his cheek, aware that Maddie was intently watching them. Gabe wasn't satisfied with that as he suddenly dipped her and gave her a very deep, tonguey kiss.

Maddie's mouth dropped open. Cristina was kissing her boyfriend! She couldn't wait until her uncle was home to tell him.

As Gabe released Cristina, she said, "Please, not in front of you know who."

"Sorry, I didn't see her there," he said. "Can you come out this evening?"

"I don't know. Depends on what time he comes home. If I can, I will call you," she said.

"I'll be waiting," he said, as he left.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Owen came home. He saw the pink roses in the foyer. He hoped she liked them. He put down his briefcase, took off his jacket and tie and loosened the top of his shirt. As expected, he found Maddie and Cristina in the kitchen, having dinner.<p>

"Good evening," he boomed.

"Hello, Uncle Owen. Thank you for the chocolates!" Maddie yelled.

"You're very welcome, Maddie," Owen said.

"And thank you for the roses, Mr. Hunt. They are very lovely. You didn't have to but I do love them," Cristina said.

"Well, it is Valentine's Day and every beautiful girl should get flowers," he said. He sat down, while Cristina brought him his dinner.

"Thanks," he said, looking up at her and smiling.

Maddie said, "I've got something for you, Uncle Owen." She handed him her card. "I made it in school, today. I made one for you, one for Cristina and one for that yucky boy, Joey."

Owen opened the card and read the words. "That is so lovely, Maddie. I love you with all of my heart, too." He leaned over and gave Maddie a kiss on her forehead.

"That's not all that happened, today," Maddie said. "Cristina's boyfriend was here and brought her a present."

"Oh?" Owen said, his hackles were already started to get raised. He did not want to hear about Gabe at this particular moment.

"Yup and he gave her a big, huge, giant kisssssssssss," Maddie said. "Like this!" She started to demonstrate by smooching her forearm and making loud, kissy noises. Cristina was embarrassed. Owen was angry.

"Maddie, can you please go to your room. I need to speak to Cristina alone," Owen told his niece.

"Is something wrong?" Maddie asked, alarmed.

"No, just go to your room, honey," he said. Maddie reluctantly got up and went to her room.

"Cristina, I do not appreciate you and your boyfriend making out like teenagers in front of Maddie. She is only six years old and very impressionable," he said, loudly.

"But…," Cristina started, trying to explain that she didn't know that Gabe was going to kiss her like that and that he didn't know that Maddie was there.

"That is totally unacceptable behavior. Unacceptable. I never expected anything like this from you," Owen knew his voice was getting louder but he couldn't help it. He was angry but he was aware that most of his anger stemmed from jealousy.

"If you are carrying on like this, I may have no choice but to ban that young man from coming here ever again," Owen yelled. "Is that clear?"

Cristina was fuming but she managed to get her voice in control. "Is that all, Mr. Hunt?" she said. He nodded. She stalked out of the kitchen. How dare he talk to her like that? Especially since he didn't even give her a chance to explain. She went to her room and crashed on to her bed, her eyes were hot with angry tears. She got up from her bed; she knew what she was going to do.

Owen sat by himself in the kitchen. He pushed away his dinner. He couldn't eat after this. He was so jealous; he could not believe how jealous he was.

* * *

><p>The next morning, he found only Maddie in the kitchen, who was ready and waiting for her Uncle Owen to take her to school. Cristina was nowhere in sight.<p>

"Where's Cristina?" Owen asked.

"She left for school, already. She gave me breakfast, packed my lunch and put my homework in my bag," she said. "She told me to wait for you to take me to school."

"Well, okay, let me just grab a cup of coffee," he said. "We will be on our way."

In the evening, the house seemed very quiet. His dinner was on the stove but Cristina and Maddie were nowhere in sight. He went up to the bedroom floor. He heard Maddie in her bedroom, playing but there was no sound coming from Cristina's room. He knew she was in there because her light was on.

The next morning, it was the same. Maddie was waiting for him, alone in the kitchen. In the evening, it was a repeat of the previous day.

It was not only a silent treatment but also a total avoidance. She was giving him the whole treatment. He decided to apologize the next morning, which happened to be Saturday. He got up early to ensure that she was still there before she disappeared for the day. He was shocked, instead to find two suitcases and three boxes at the front door. The doorbell rang.

It was Cristina's friend, Toni and a young man he did not recognize. "Good morning, Mr. Hunt," Toni said. "We're just here to pick up Cristina's things."

The young man started moving the boxes and suitcases into his van.

"Where is she?" Owen asked.

Toni didn't answer his question but instead, handed him two envelopes. One was addressed to him and the other to Maddie.

"She told me to give you this," Toni said. As the young man picked up the final box, Toni bade Owen goodbye and left.

He closed the front door. He ripped open the envelope with his name on it. It was a simple resignation letter, effective immediately. She didn't even ask him about the two weeks pay he owed her. He dropped the letter on the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	11. Chapter 11 Aftermath

**A/N: I hadn't planned to update this particular story right now because I had a whole bunch of others to do but the writing was flowing, this morning. I hope you enjoy and remember to leave your reviews.**

* * *

><p>Owen was in shock for about 60 seconds before going into his office and grabbing his phone to call Cristina. Not surprisingly, the call went to voice mail.<p>

"Cristina, I know you are upset. Please call me," he left a message.

He stared at the resignation letter, once again. It was so cold and formal. It didn't sound like the warm, vibrant girl that he knew. It was basically two lines.

"It is with immediate effect that I resign my position as nanny in your household. Sincerely, Cristina Yang."

He looked at the other envelope with Maddie's name on it. He knew that Maddie was going to be devastated when she heard the news that Cristina had left. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast and to await Maddie. He had just finished the toast, when he heard Maddie singing as she came down the stairs.

She came into the kitchen with a bright smile on her face. "Hi, Uncle Owen," she said, as she looked around. "Where is Cristina? I did a new drawing last night that I want to show her."

"Maddie, come sit down next to me," Owen said, quietly. "I need to tell you something."

Maddie did not understand why Uncle Owen was speaking in this tone. It didn't sound like he had good news. He sounded like that when her mummy died. She was already to burst into tears.

"What has happened to Cristina?" she asked, fearfully.

"Cristina quit as your nanny," he said.

"What? She left me. I thought she loved me! She said she loved me. How can she leave me?" Maddie shrieked, as tears started rolling down her face.

"It seems that Cristina is upset with me," Owen said. "We had an argument earlier in the week and it looks like Cristina is still very upset about it and she quit."

"So you are the reason she left," Maddie screamed. "You have to get her back. You have to, Uncle Owen. Tell her you are sorry. Tell her how much we love her. Tell her to come back." Her little body was starting to shake. Owen tried to hug her but she pushed him away.

Owen didn't know what to say to make her feel better. "She left you a letter." He handed her the envelope. Through teary eyes, Maddie ripped open the envelope. She stared at Cristina's handwriting for a few seconds. "Read it to me. I don't know all of the words." She shoved the letter into Owen's hands.

He took the letter and started reading, "Dear Maddie, I am very sorry to say but I will no longer be your nanny. Please know that this is not your fault. You did nothing wrong. It is just how things sometimes work out.

"You are a beautiful, smart, talented little girl. Keep up with your drawing and you can ask your Uncle Owen to get you a music teacher, so you can continue your piano lessons.

"I love you very much. Don't forget whenever you feel down, put on the music and dance it out.

"With all of my love, Cristina."

At the end of the letter, Maddie started wailing, once again. "Fix it, Uncle Owen. Bring her back. She can't leave me. Everybody leaves me. Mummy left me and now, Cristina. Bring her back, Uncle Owen." This time, she collapsed into his arms. He rocked her until she stopped crying.

"I am going to try my best to bring her back, Maddie. Do you want breakfast?" he asked.

"No, I think I am going to my room," she said. She released herself from Owen's arms and started walking away. She shot a look at him and said, "Just bring her back."

Owen sighed. He tried Cristina's number again. The voice mail came on again. He left another message, "Cristina, please call me back. Maddie is devastated. Please."

He drank his coffee - it was hot and a little bitter. Like Maddie, he had lost his appetite. To take his mind off things, he went to his office and did some work. The hours passed. Every time his phone rang and it wasn't Cristina, he was disappointed. He made a third call. "Cristina, please call me. I beg you. Call me back."

Cristina, who was staying at Toni's apartment, knew that it was Mr. Hunt calling her. She refused to answer any of his calls. She knew if she did, her resolve would break and she would go back to the townhouse. She was still quite angry at him. She listened to all of his messages, as he pleaded for her to call him. They seemed to be getting more and more desperate.

There was another reason that she did not want to go back to the townhouse. In the last two days of silence, she had become acutely aware of why the way he spoke to her, had hurt her so much. If he had been any other employer, she probably would have been able to get over it, eventually. But he was not just any other employer, she had realized. She had feelings for him and for him to shout at her like that, hurt her to the core. She didn't want to have these feelings for him. It was best that she stay away, even though she knew she was hurting Maddie. She needed to stay away or her feelings would get her into trouble. She decided it would be wise to change her phone number, which she promptly did.

By the time, Owen made his fourth phone call, the number was no longer in service. She had changed her number. She had sent him a clear message without ever speaking to him. She didn't want to communicate with him and she wasn't coming back. As much as it pained him, he knew he had to make some arrangements for Maddie for the coming weeks.

He called Janelle and told him that he needed a babysitter who could pick up Maddie from school and stay with her until he came home in the evenings. Janelle asked about what had happened to Cristina. He told her that he had messed up and she had left. Janelle heard the pain in his voice and didn't press any further. She gave him the names and numbers of two good babysitters and told him to use her name as a reference. He thanked her for all of her help. He secured the services of one of the babysitter, before making his way up to Maddie's room. He found her lying in her bed, staring at a picture of herself and Cristina on her bedside table.

"Maddie," he said. She looked up at him. "Did you get her back?" she enquired.

"No, Cristina has changed her phone number," Owen said. "And I don't know where she is."

"It's all your fault," Maddie said, angrily. "You made her mad and she went away."

"Yes, it is my fault but I am not going to give up, for your sake and for mine," he said. "Forgive me, Maddie." He left the room.

* * *

><p>A month passed and still, there was no communication from Cristina. His heart hurt whenever he thought about her. The babysitter, Louella, was working out okay. She picked up Maddie from school and waited with her, until Owen came home. It was now left for Owen to get Maddie ready in the morning. He had to get her fed, dress her in her uniform, make her lunch and then, they would be on their way. She complained about the way he combed her hair, saying that Cristina did a better job. When she said Cristina's name, they both felt very sad.<p>

Maddie's seventh birthday was coming up at the end of March. Owen had promised her a party and he had sat with her at the kitchen table, as they wrote out her invitations. She was inviting all of the children in her class, Janelle's children and her teacher. There was one invitation left.

"So who is this invitation for?" Owen asked.

"It's for Cristina. I want her to come to my birthday party," Maddie said "If she loves me, she will come to my birthday party."

"But I don't know where Cristina lives," Owen said.

"We will find her in the park," Maddie said. "She always liked to go to the park to take pictures and draw."

Owen was not as confident as Maddie about finding Cristina in the park. But the little girl was determined. They dressed to go out of the house and they took a walk to the park. It was a fairly nice March day. There was still a chill in the air but the sun was out and there wasn't any snow on the ground.

"Now, Maddie, don't get your hopes up that Cristina is here," Owen said.

"I know where she likes to sit," Maddie said. "When I came to the park, she would sit across there." Maddie pointed to a park bench and there was someone on the bench. While the girl, who was sitting on the bench, had her face turned away from them, they both knew immediately that it was Cristina. There was no mistaking those long, raven curls, which glistened in the sunlight. His heart jumped with joy.

"There is Cristina, Uncle Owen," Maddie said. "I am going to give her my invitation." She released his hand and started running towards the park bench.

It was then that two little dark-haired boys came running up to Cristina. They looked to be about four years old and appeared to be identical twins. They came and hugged her. Cristina put away her sketch pad into her bag and held out her hands for the twins to hold. They started walking away.

The scene stopped Maddie dead in her tracks. She looked back at Owen and he could see the tears, streaming down her cheeks.

She ran back to him. "Did you see that? Cristina has another family. She doesn't love us anymore. She has forgotten us!" Maddie shrieked. She beat her little fists against Owen's leg. "You made her go away and she doesn't love me, anymore. She doesn't think about me, anymore. She has two little boys to love."

He picked up Maddie and she buried her face against his shoulder. He started walking back to his townhouse.

As Cristina walked away with Luke and Joshua, she could swear that she had heard Maddie's voice but she brushed away the thought. It was probably just her imagination. Since Cristina had left Owen's employ, money had become extremely tight. She was actually not a nanny at present, just a babysitter. When she lived at Owen's place, she didn't worry about paying for food, utilities or rent but now that she was living at Toni's apartment, she had to contribute to those and babysitting did not pay as well as being a nanny. She needed to get another live-in nanny job fast, she thought. She had an interview with a Wall Street investment banker the day before. He was widowed with three small children. She hoped that was a job she could secure.

Owen and Maddie dejectedly headed back to the townhouse. Maddie trudged upstairs to her room. Owen still had Cristina's invitation in his hand. He knew it meant so much to Maddie to have Cristina at her party. If only he could contact her. He slapped himself on the head. How could he have forgotten? He had her friend, Toni's number stored on his phone. She had given him her number last Thanksgiving. He was such an idiot, he thought.

He made the call. Toni answered after two rings. "Hello, this is Toni Webber," she said.

"Hello, Toni, this is Owen Hunt, Cristina's former employer," Owen said. "I wondered if you can give her a message."

"I guess," Toni said, surprised to actually get a call from Owen but of course, he was only calling about Cristina. She was a little peeved. Why couldn't he call her for a date?

"Could you please tell her that I still owe her that two weeks of pay from February? I haven't been able to contact her and since you are her friend, I am sure you know how to contact her," Owen said.

"Yes, I do," Toni said.

"Good, well, can you have her come over to my house at about 6 p.m. this evening? I will have the check ready and waiting for her," Owen said.

"I can't promise you that she will come but I will tell her," Toni said.

"Thank you. That's all I ask," Owen said. He hung up the phone. He hoped that would be enough to lure Cristina to come by. He called Janelle and made arrangements for Maddie to stay overnight at her house. If there was going to be any arguing or loud voices, he preferred that Maddie not hear it.

* * *

><p>Cristina came home after her babysitting job. Toni was lounging on a chair, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "You wouldn't believe who called me?" Toni said.<p>

"I am not going to play any guessing game with you," Cristina said. "Those two little boys took a lot out of me."

"Your former boss – Mr. Hottie Hunt," Toni said.

"What did he want?" Cristina asked.

"Well, he really didn't call for me. He wanted to leave you a message. He said he had that two weeks pay for you and if you can come to his house and collect it at 6 p.m. tonight," Toni said.

"I had forgotten about that. I guess I should go. I need that money, desperately," Cristina said, looking at her watch. "I am going to take a bath and just head over there, right after."

* * *

><p>Owen was pacing in his house. He had already dropped off Maddie at Janelle's house. He hoped Cristina would show up. It was already five minutes past six and still, there was no sign of Cristina. Ten more minutes passed and she was still not there. He was giving up hope. It was then that he heard the doorbell.<p>

He rushed to open the door. There she stood, her curly hair was softly framing her face. She looked beautiful.

"Cristina," he whispered out her name.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. I really do appreciate them.**


	12. Chapter 12 How I really feel

"Cristina, come on in," he said, turning his body so she could pass. "I am so glad you decided to come." She stepped into the foyer and then, into the living room. The place was basically the same as when she left a month ago.

"Good evening, Mr. Hunt. How have you been?" she said, politely.

"Alright, I guess," he said.

"Is Maddie around? I would just like to say hello to her," Cristina asked. Despite leaving the job, she still loved the little girl.

"No, Maddie is at a friend's house," he said. He looked at her from head to toe, taking in every inch of her. "You look lovely."

"Thank you, Mr. Hunt," she said. "I don't mean to be forward but my friend, Toni, told me that you had a check for me."

"Yes, let me get it for you," he said, as he disappeared into his office and came back out with an envelope. He handed her the envelope. "This is what I owe for the two weeks in February that you worked."

She took the envelope and tucked into her purse. "Well, if that is all, Mr. Hunt, I better be on my way."

"Please, can you stay a bit? I really need to talk to you," he said. "You left rather suddenly and there are things I need to say."

"Okay," she agreed. She felt she owed it to him to listen to what he had to say, given how she left.

"First of all, on the Saturday that you left, I was going to apologize to you about what I said and how I behaved on Valentine's Day. I guess maybe I went overboard but there was a reason. Imagine my shock when I came down the stairs to find your suitcases and boxes at the front door and you gone. When I gave Maddie your letter, she was heartbroken. She blamed me for everything. She cried for days," Owen said.

Cristina felt really bad about having hurt Maddie that way. "I'm sorry about that," she said.

He continued, "I tried to contact you but you made things really difficult for me to contact you. After you changed your phone number, I tried calling the agency but they told me that you had cut ties with them and they no longer had any contact information for you.

"I tried the school and they told me that the only address they had for you was that of my townhouse. I tried your email but it seemed the email address I had for you was deactivated. I tried Skype but I am not listed as one of your contacts anymore.

"The only thing that I didn't do was to wait for you at your school to catch you after one of your classes. That would have been severely stalkerish. Though I was seriously tempted."

His last confession made her smile.

"I finally remembered that I had your friend's Toni's number and called her to get a message to you. I am so glad that you showed up," he said. "Because I really need to say this. I apologize for all that happened on Valentine's Day and I am hoping you can forgive me."

"Apology accepted," she said. "Is that all, sir?"

He sighed. She seemed so ready to get away from him. He knew the time to admit what he felt was now or never.

"Remember I told you that there was a reason why I acted the way I did," he said. She nodded.

"This is so hard to say. Gosh, I am a lawyer, I am supposed to be able to talk," he chided himself.

"It's okay. I am all ears, Mr. Hunt," she said, as she took a seat on the sofa. "Whenever you are ready."

"Since you have been here, you have been really the light of our lives. As you know, I lost my sister, who was Maddie's mom. We were both quite sad when you entered our lives and it would not be a lie if I told you that your presence in our home made Maddie and me very happy. You, Maddie and me felt like a real family," Owen said.

"Well, you guys made me happy, too," she admitted.

"We did? We do?" he said.

"Yeah, why are you surprised? You weren't just a job for me. You were my family here in New York," she said.

"Well, there is more to the family story," he said, hoping that he was putting across his case the best way he could. "The thing is, Cristina, I don't just think of you as my niece's nanny."

She stopped breathing for a few seconds.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked. She wondered if he felt about her the same way she felt about him. She didn't want to say anything in case that was not the way he thought about her.

He let out a sharp breath. "What I am trying to say, Cristina, is that I have feelings for you," he said. "Really, deep, very strong feelings for you." Her mouth dropped open.

"I have had them for a very long time, almost as soon as you moved into our house," he said. "I guess I just better say it. I love you. That's why I behaved the way I did when Maddie told me about Gabe kissing you on Valentine's Day. I was extremely jealous and that is why I shouted at you. I know I had no right to do so but I couldn't help how I felt."

Her mouth stayed open. She was dumbstruck.

"Well, say something before I end up making a fool of myself," he said.

She chuckled a bit. "Are you laughing at me?" he asked.

"No," she said. "This is so strange. The reason that I left was because I knew I was developing feelings for you." He could not believe his ears. He grinned.

She continued, "When you shouted at me that day, I was really very hurt. I could not believe how hurt I was. It hurt me right to the core. Then, I realized the reason that it hurt was because of how I felt about you. And since I was your nanny, I could not feel that way. I felt I had no choice. I had to leave."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" he asked. "It would have saved us both the heartache."

"Why didn't you tell me how you felt?" she responded.

"Because of Maddie. She loves you so much. I didn't want to take away the nanny she loved. If I had made known what I felt, it would mean that our relationship would have changed and I didn't want to hurt Maddie that way," he said.

"I understand," she said. He asked, "What about Gabe?"

"Oh, Gabe. We broke up after I realized how I felt about you. It wasn't fair to him," she said. "What do you want do to now?"

"Well, you're no longer Maddie's nanny, I wanted to know if you think we could pursue a relationship, a real relationship, not employer-nanny relationship. Boyfriend – girlfriend relationship," he said. "Seeing that you have feelings for me, I am hoping that you would want to try."

"What about Maddie?" she asked. "I kinda thought you were going to ask me to come back as her nanny."

"Well, I was actually going to do that but I changed my mind. I needed to let you know how I felt. It has been eating away at me for months," he admitted. "In any case, it doesn't matter. You already have a job."

"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"Maddie and I saw you in the park with the twins, today. It really broke her heart. She was going to invite you to her seventh birthday party and when she saw you with the twins, she started to cry," Owen said.

"Oh, the twins. Actually, that was not the job I was referring to. The twins are just a regular babysitting job. That's what I have been doing, since I left here. Babysitting obviously doesn't play as well as a nanny job. That's one of the reasons I came to collect my check. I am desperate for money, these days. Didn't know how good I had it when I lived here," she said, laughing. "Anyway, things have changed."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I was offered another job – a Wall Street investment banker. He is a widower with three children. I start on Monday," she said.

"Oh," he said. "So you will be moving into his place?"

"Yup, tomorrow evening," she said. "I am really glad that I got a new job. It has been financially hard, since I left your employ." He didn't really like the idea of her living in another man's house but he felt he didn't have the right to object.

"About my earlier question, you haven't answered. About trying a relationship. Me and you," he said.

She seemed to be deep in thought. Waiting for her to speak seemed like an eternity. She looked up at him and said one word, "Okay."

"Okay? Okay!" he shouted. He picked her up and swung her around.

"I guess this means you're happy," she said, in a droll voice.

"Happy doesn't quite express it. I am ecstatic," he said, as he put her down. "Can I give you a real kiss? I have wanted to do that for a while. That kiss on New Year's Eve doesn't count because we both didn't have any intentions and that was just an accident," he said.

"A real first kiss?" she said, smiling.

"A real first kiss," he said. He took her face into his hands and started with light kisses, before deepening into a more torrid kiss. He loved how she responded to his lips and his tongue. As they pulled apart, she had to catch her breath.

"Now that was a real first kiss," he said, hugging her close to him.

"Yeah, it was. I think I want more," she said, grinning.

"Anything you say," he said, as he pulled her into for more sweet kisses. He moved her to the couch, where they started making out in earnest. After some 15 minutes of very hot and heavy making out, Owen said, "I have to stop. I am getting very aroused here. I have been wanting you for the past eight months."

"Who says I want to stop?" she said. He looked at her and wondered if she was saying what he thought she was saying.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. "You're going to carry me up three flights of stairs?" she asked.

"I have done it before, quite a few times," he confessed, with a chuckle.

"So it was you, who was carrying me to my bedroom. All of the time, I thought I was sleepwalking. I even signed up for that sleep study in school and they could find nothing wrong with me," she said. "At least I am relieved to find out an explanation."

As they reached his bedroom, he deposited her on the bed. She took a quick glance around the room. The last time she was in there was when she was taking care of him, when he was sick. It was a very masculine room, bereft of any female touches or feminine colors. If she was given the opportunity, there would have been a few changes she could make, she thought.

"Now, let's see what I have been missing underneath all of these clothes," he said, as he slowly undressed her. The air was thick with anticipation. He slipped off her sweater and kissed her on her neck and shoulders. He slipped off her bra and gently sucked at her nipples. He pulled off her pants and kissed her on her legs. She involuntarily shivered as his lips worked her way up her thighs. He slipped off her panties and went to kiss her sex, using his tongue to taste her for the first time. He gently nipped at her clit, as he penetrated her with his tongue. She gasped at the sensation and she closed her eyes to savor the feeling. It wasn't too long after that she experienced his talents. "Oh…God…that…is…so…good," she squeaked out. She shuddered as she climaxed.

He came up and kissed her on her lips. "I have been waiting for this but I never thought we would have ever get to this place," he said. "I want you so bad."

"I want you, too," she said. "I sometimes fantasized about it."

"You did?" he laughed. "Me, too. In my dreams, we probably did every position in the kama sutra."

"Hey, hey, I am flexible but not a total contortionist," she said.

"Flexibility is always good in my book," he whispered, as he kissed her again. "Are you ready for me?"

"Yes," she whispered back. As he plunged into her, it was a culmination of their months of unrequited desire and longing. They both groaned with pleasure. It was amazing that they fitted so well, together, as their bodies moved as one in rhythm with each other. When they both came, their release was complete. He rested his head against her chest and listened to the beat of her heart. "I love you, Cristina," he said, softly. "I love you, Owen," she replied. Those were the sweetest words he had ever heard in his life. He laughed, "That's the first time you ever called me Owen, not Mr. Hunt or sir." She giggled.

They lay there for several minutes, just reveling in the moment.

"Owen," she said. "What are we going to tell Maddie?"

He looked up at her. "I haven't decided that as yet. Let's worry about that in the morning." He reached up and kissed her again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please don't forget to leave reviews. I do enjoy reading all of them. Your comments inspire me.**


	13. Chapter 13 Telling Maddie

Cristina opened her eyes to find two blue eyes looking back at her. He beamed at her.

"What are you doing?" she said, starting to feel self-conscious.

"I still can't believe you're in my bed," he said, pulling her closer to him. "I was watching you sleep."

"Well, I was a little tired from all that sex last night," she said. "You're quite exhausting."

"It was everything I was feeling for the past few months," he said. "Are you going to spend the day with Maddie and me? She should be back later this morning."

"Oh, shoot. I don't have any clothes, here, anymore," she said. "I will have to call Toni to drop off something." She reached over and took up the receiver from the side of the bed and dialed her friend.

"Good morning, Toni," she said. "Oh, stop being so grumpy." Owen could only hear Cristina's side of the conversation but he could just imagine what Toni was saying.

She said, "Toni, I need you to do me a favor. Could you bring me a pair of jeans, some underwear and a sweater. I am going to spend the day here."

"Yes, Toni, if you must know, things went well," Cristina said, chuckling. "But I can't talk too much now. There are people here. So you'll bring it? Thanks. Bye."

Owen looked at her. "I am people?"

"Well," she said. "When girls talk about a guy, they don't necessarily want the said guy to be listening to their conversation."

"I do hope that you will be telling your friend good things about me," he said, as she snuggled against his chest.

"Somehow, I think I will," she said, laughing.

"Do you want something more to tell your friend about?" he said, as he caressed her body.

"I was hoping that you would ask," she said, turning around and kissing him. They made love again for the fourth time.

Thankfully, they were done when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Ah," Cristina said. "That is fabulous timing. I guess Toni is here with my clothes. She did get here rather quickly." She pulled on her underwear and grabbed his t-shirt from the floor and put it on. It fitted her like a mini-dress. "Just running down the stairs to get them. I will be back," she said with a grin.

She hurried down the three flights of stairs and flung open the front door, only to find that it was not Toni, but Janelle and Maddie. Maddie's face turned to sheer joy and happiness, when she saw Cristina. She rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

"You're back, Cristina, you're back. I knew you would come back," Maddie said. "I knew you love me. I love you so much, Cristina."

Janelle observed Cristina's attire and dishevelled hair. The girl was wearing a Columbia University t-shirt and she was drowning in it. Clearly, it was not Cristina's t-shirt, since the girl attended NYU. She did know that Owen went to Columbia and given the size of the shirt, it was obviously his. She smiled and made a mental note to give Owen hell on Monday, when he came in to work. It seemed that Owen finally got together with his former nanny. At least he had the decency to wait until she became his former nanny, she thought.

"Cristina, how are you?" Janelle said. "I didn't expect to see you here. Is Owen around?"

"I am fine, Miss Stevens. He is in his bedroom," Cristina said, staring at the ground as she was somewhat embarrassed.

"Okay, then. Just tell him that Maddie behaved very well last night and I will see him on Monday at work," Janelle said. "Good bye." She had a smirk on her face, as she left.

Cristina shut the door, as Maddie held on to her.

"So you're coming back as my nanny? Uncle Owen brought you back! He told me he would," Maddie said, looking up at Cristina. She released Cristina and suddenly ran up the stairs. "I have to thank him!"

Cristina stared at her retreating figure, deciding not to follow her. She went to the kitchen, instead. She made herself a cup of coffee and waited.

Maddie burst into Owen's bedroom. Owen, who was still naked under the covers, was more than a little surprised to see his niece. "Good grief, Maddie, you should knock first," he said, pulling the covers higher.

"Uncle Owen, Uncle Owen, you brought back Cristina! Thank you! Thank you!" the little girl screamed.

"Um, I need to talk to you about that," Owen said. "But first, I need to get decent. Could you go downstairs and wait with Cristina and I will be down in a jiffy."

"Okay," Maddie said, dancing around the room. She left the bedroom, banging the door shut in her glee. "Oops, sorry about that, Uncle Owen," he heard her say from outside his bedroom.

"That's okay, Maddie," he said, as he scrambled around looking for his clothes. He found his underwear and his pajama bottoms. But where the heck was his t-shirt? Then, he remembered Cristina had been wearing it, when she went downstairs. The thought brought a smile to his face. He found another t-shirt and pulled it over his head. It was not going to be easy to tell Maddie about the change in circumstances between him and Cristina.

He went down the kitchen to see Cristina and Maddie at the table, awaiting his arrival. Cristina seemed to be drinking coffee, while Maddie was downing a cup of hot chocolate.

"Do you want some coffee?" Cristina asked.

"Yes, thank you," he said. She got up and poured him a steaming cup of coffee and brought it back for him. "Thank you," he said, smiling at her. He took a sip and then a deep breath.

"Maddie," Owen said. "I need to discuss something with you, concerning Cristina."

"So when is she moving back in?" Maddie asked, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Well, that's just it," Owen said. "Cristina is not moving back in."

"What do you mean? She's here, now," Maddie said, pointing to her former nanny.

"Well, Cristina has another job," Owen said.

"She can quit that job and come back to us!" Maddie said, firmly.

Owen thought about what he was going to say. He looked over at Cristina and she nodded at him.

"Maddie, the thing is Cristina cannot be your nanny, anymore. That's because she's my girlfriend, now," Owen said, hoping his niece was going to understand.

"What?" Maddie said, with an incredulous look. "Your girlfriend?"

"Yes, my girlfriend. That's why she cannot be your nanny. It is going to be hard to be professional with her, if she is the nanny and my girlfriend," Owen tried to explain.

Cristina smiled, as she recognized the depth of Owen's discomfort. She decided to step in the conversation.

"Well, he cannot be my boss and my boyfriend at the same time, Maddie. Suppose I did something as a nanny that he did not like, he might find it hard to speak to me about it because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings because I am his girlfriend. But he should tell me about it. If he doesn't, then I wouldn't be able to be a good nanny," Cristina said.

Maddie nodded. Owen silently mouthed "thank you" to Cristina.

"So," Maddie asked. "What does this all mean? When do I get to see you? Will I ever get a new nanny?"

"I think Louella is working out fine as a babysitter on the evenings with you. You like Louella, don't you?" Owen asked.

"Yes, but not as much as I love Cristina," Maddie said.

"Well, you will still have Cristina in your life," Owen said. "Because she is my girlfriend, now. She will be at her job during the week and then come stay with us, every weekend. Right, Cristina?"

"Yeah, sure," Cristina said. "I will be here every weekend and we can go out as a family, as we usually do."

"Oh, good," Maddie said. "I can live with that. As long as you're still in my life. Oh, I have something for you." She ran out of the room. Owen and Cristina exchanged glances. That went better than they both expected. Maddie came tearing back into the kitchen.

"Here," she said. "This is your invitation to my 7th birthday party. I hope you can come. It is in two weeks' time."

Cristina took the invitation from Maddie and opened it. "Why, thank you, Maddie, I will be honored to be a guest at your party."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Oh," Cristina said. "That must be Toni." She got up and went to answer the door.

She opened the door and Toni had the biggest grin on her face. "Cristina Yang, you nailed the hottie. I am so proud of you," her friend said, giving her a hug.

"Thank you, I guess," Cristina said, chuckling. "Did you bring my clothes?"

"Yup, I will do all I can to encourage this blossoming romance," Toni said. "If I can't have him, I am more than happy that my best friend has him. Is he good? I need to know."

"You know I shouldn't be talking about my boyfriend's sexual prowess with you," Cristina said, with a sly grin.

"Oh, come on, Yang, you have got to share. Is he as awesome as I imagined it?" Toni said, raising her eyebrows.

"Okay, okay. That and more," Cristina finally relented.

"I knew it!" Toni said. "You go, girl. Heading back to my lonely apartment. Are you going to come by and pick up your stuff this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I will get Owen to help me and take me to Mr. Barnes' house," Cristina said. "Thanks for bringing over an outfit for me. See you later." She closed the door and ran up the stairs to brush her teeth, take a quick shower and change into her clothes. She came back down to see Maddie and Owen still at the kitchen table.

"I am ready to go to brunch," Cristina said.

"Yay," Maddie said. "Just like the old days, when we went out on Sundays. I missed that."

"Well, then I better go up and get changed," Owen said, as he reached over and gave Cristina a light kiss on the lips. Maddie noted the smooch with interest. When it was just Cristina and Maddie left in the kitchen, Maddie asked, "So if you marry Uncle Owen, you will become my Aunty Cristina?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. But that is a long way away," Cristina said. "Your uncle and I have just started this relationship."

"Oh, I know, I just wanted to know that," Maddie said. Soon enough, Owen was back downstairs and they all went out for the day. It was a great day for all three of them. It just felt so familiar and yet new at the same time because of the change in their situation. Now, he could hold her hand and hug her and kiss her, if he wished. That was the major difference and it felt really good.

Too quickly, evening came and they went to Toni's house to help Cristina pack for her new job. Between Owen and Cristina, the task was done quickly and they headed over to Mr. Barnes' brownstone.

Owen really could not believe he was doing this. He was actually moving his girlfriend into another man's house. The absurdity of it all, he thought.

Cristina rang the doorbell. The door was answered by a pair of dark-haired twin girls, about eight years old. Maddie eyed the girls, jealously. Cristina was going to be their nanny and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Are you our new nanny?" one of the girls said.

"Yes, I am," Cristina said. "I am Cristina."

"She's so pretty," the other girl said. They both laughed. They allowed them into the foyer. Owen brought in all of Cristina's suitcases and boxes.

A tall, dark-haired gentleman with grey eyes came to the foyer. "Yes, Cristina, I am so glad to see you are here." Charles Barnes wondered who was this blonde man that was helping Cristina move in.

"Ah, Mr. Barnes," Cristina said. "Well, I did tell you that I would be here by 7 p.m."

"Good, good," Barnes said.

"This is my boyfriend, Owen Hunt and his niece, Maddie," Cristina said. "This is Charles Barnes, my new boss." The two men politely shook hands.

"Well, nice to meet you," Barnes said. "These two girls are Ashley and Courtney. They usually try to fool people on which one is which but Ashley has a mole on her chin."

"Dad!" the two girls said in unison, giggling. Maddie did not like these two girls at all.

"Well, the only one missing is their little brother, Simon but he is watching television. Let me show you to the room," he said. He picked up the two suitcases and headed upstairs. Owen picked up two boxes, while Cristina struggled with the last box.

They went upstairs to a beautifully furnished bedroom. "This is lovely, Mr. Barnes," Cristina said.

"Thank you. I will just leave you to get settled," Barnes said and he left.

"Are you sure about this, Cristina? You don't need to take this job; you can live with Maddie and me, if you want," Owen said. "I will take care of you."

"I can't do that. I just can't rely on you because it is easy. I have to have a job. How am I going to pay my bills? I need my own money," she said, looking up at him. "Besides, we have just started this relationship, officially. I can't move in with you, right away."

"Okay. I guess we better go, now, so you can unpack," Owen said.

Cristina walked Maddie and Owen back down to the front door. Maddie kissed her on the cheek while Owen gave her kiss on the lips.

"Call me later," Owen said.

"Okay," Cristina said, as she waved goodbye.

Maddie and Owen started their drive home. Maddie chatted with him but he could not hear a word she was saying because he was lost in his own thoughts. He could not believe he just moved his girlfriend into another man's house. It just made him feel uneasy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. I do appreciate reading your thoughts and comments on my stories. Thank you.**


	14. Chapter 14 Maddie's birthday party

It was hard for Owen to be separated from Cristina during the week, especially since they were now officially a couple. It was better than before, when he didn't know where she was. He knew where she was now, even though she was living in another man's house. They spoke every night either on Skype or on the phone. It was the highlight of the day, when he would lie on his bed and talk to her.

On Friday at 6 p.m., he and Maddie made the trip across to Barnes' brownstone to pick her up. They then went out to dinner and came back to the house. Maddie noted that Cristina was now staying in Uncle Owen's bedroom and not in her old bedroom. "Interesting," she thought.

On Saturday and Sunday during the day, they did things like a family normally would like go to the park, or the bookstore, or the movies, or go shopping. Uncle Owen explained that from now on, Saturday night would be special alone time for just him and Cristina, as they would go out to dinner together. Louella would come over and stay with Maddie, while they were out.

Maddie didn't mind because it just meant that Uncle Owen and Cristina were getting closer and one day, she hoped, they would get married and officially become a family. She sometimes thought about the cute babies that Cristina and Uncle Owen would have some day. They would be her cousins but she would treat them like if they were her brothers and sisters. Yes, she certainly would, she thought.

The next weekend was Maddie's birthday. Her party was being held on Saturday. Owen and Maddie were going to pick Cristina up, on Friday night, as they usually did. Owen was ordering dinner and they were going to work on the party preparations.

Around 5.30 p.m., Owen got a call from Cristina. "Hey there, baby," he said, as he answered the phone.

"Hi. I am sorry to tell you this but I won't be able to come over tonight, so don't come and pick me up," she said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, Mr. Barnes had a family emergency and he just had to take a flight out of New York to Baltimore to see about it. I am stuck here with the three kids because he certainly isn't coming back tonight," Cristina said.

"What about Maddie's party tomorrow? Will you be here for that? Maddie and I will be extremely disappointed if you're not here," he said.

"Well, hopefully, he will be back before her party but until then, I am here with the children," she said.

"Oh, okay, I will call you tomorrow," he said. "I wish I could talk to you, longer but I'm doing party prep now."

"Oh, I am missing out on that," she said, woefully. "I did so want to be there to help you guys out."

"Don't worry, I am working Janelle, Bruce and Chuck hard to help with all of the decorations and putting together goodie bags," Owen said. "You should see Bruce and Chuck, they are in their glee. They're like little kids all over again and Janelle is barely tolerating the both of them."

"Oh, that sounds like so much fun," she said. "I wish I was there."

"Don't worry, Maddie will have more birthdays in the future where you can help. And when our kids come, you will have your hands full with party preparations," he said.

"Our kids?" she said.

"Yes, our kids," he said. He knew he was telling her exactly where he hoped where this relationship was going to end up.

"Okay, our kids," she said. "Lots of birthdays and Christmases and Halloweens and Thanksgivings, right?"

"Yup," he said. "Me, you, Maddie and our kids all together."

"That sounds lovely," she said. "I still wish I was there to help with this one."

"As long as you're here tomorrow, Maddie and I will forgive you this one," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye, Owen," she said, as she hung up.

Owen went back to the kitchen, which was Party Prep Central. "Maddie, we're not going to pick up Cristina tonight. She can't come over. Her boss had an emergency and she has to stay with the children."

Maddie answered, "But she is coming to the party tomorrow?" Maddie was resenting these kids, even more. She hated how they monopolized Cristina's time, even though she knew it was her job. The weekends belonged to her and her Uncle Owen, Maddie reasoned in her mind.

"Yes," Owen said. "Well, okay," Maddie said, satisfied with that answer.

* * *

><p>The next day came faster than Owen anticipated. From 2 p.m., the children started arriving. Owen had never seen so many children in his house at any one time. Thankfully, Janelle, Bruce and Chuck were there to help entertain and feed the children. Everytime, the doorbell rang, Maddie would run to the door, hoping it was Cristina. While she was gracious to whoever it was at the door, she would leave disappointed that it was not Cristina.<p>

Owen himself wondered what was keeping Cristina. It was already 3 p.m. and still, there was no sign of her. He gave her a call. "Hey, when are you coming over?" he asked. "Maddie is anxiously waiting for you."

"I don't know if I can come over. Mr. Barnes has not yet come back from Baltimore. He won't be coming back until about 6 p.m. this evening," she said.

"You have to come over!" he said. "Why don't you bring the kids with you? They are about the same age as the other children in this party."

"Will that be okay with Maddie?" Cristina asked, anxiously. She was aware of the resentment that Maddie had for the Barnes children.

"Well, I think she would prefer you being here, rather that not being here," she said.

"Okay, I will get them ready and drive down," she said. "I hope I can get a parking spot."

"I will give you space in the garage. Just come around to the back of the townhouse," he said.

"Okay, I will be there in about 45 minutes," she said.

"Great," he said. "You have to be here."

Cristina got the three Barnes children ready for the party. The twin girls always looked for an opportunity to dress up, so they were excited to go. They never dressed alike, as a lot of twins did. They each had their own style and taste. Courtney was more bohemian in her dress and liked flowing dresses. Ashley was more preppy and preferred tailored clothes. Simon was the shyest of the three children. At six, he was in first grade and was very quiet. He often clung to Cristina in public situations. He was not too happy about going to a stranger's birthday party.

"Cristina, will it be okay?" he asked, as she buttoned his shirt for him.

"Yes, Simon, it will be okay. I will be there. Maddie is a very nice girl. There will be lots of other children there, too," Cristina said, as she finished buttoning his shirt. "You look so handsome, Simon."

He gave her a shy smile. He really liked his new nanny. His mother had died when he was three and they had a series of nannies, since then. He liked Cristina the best. He related to her the best. If she stayed with them for a long time, he knew he would love her.

The girls had dressed themselves and they were soon on their way to the Hunt townhouse. She did as she was told and parked the car in the garage at the back of the townhouse. She took the children upstairs through the kitchen and then to the living room. It was Maddie who spotted Cristina first.

"Cristina!" she yelled, running across the room and launching herself on her uncle's girlfriend. Her joy was tempered when she realized that Cristina had brought the Barnes children with her.

"Here's your present, Maddie," Cristina said, handing over a large box.

"Thank you, Cristina," she said, as she accepted a kiss from her former nanny. The twins looked at Maddie, smugly. They knew that Cristina had been Maddie's nanny at one time and now, she was their nanny. Maddie did not like their smug expressions. The boy, Simon, hung back and clung to Cristina's hand.

"Girls," Cristina said. "Why don't you mingle and meet some new people?"

"Okay," the dark-haired twins said in unison, as they ventured into the crowd of children.

"Simon," Cristina asked. "Why don't you go and make some friends?"

"What if they don't like me?" he said, his dark eyes starting to brim with tears.

"Maddie likes you. Don't you, Maddie?" Cristina said, prompting Maddie to say something.

"Um, yes, you seem like a nice boy," Maddie said.

"Why don't you let Maddie introduce you to some of the other children? Okay, Maddie?" Cristina said, her eyes pleading with the birthday girl.

"Okay," Maddie said, watching Cristina in the face. "Come, Simon, let's go play a game." She took the boy's hand and led him into the crowd of children.

Owen, who was watching the whole scene, came up behind Cristina and gathered her up into his arms. "Nicely done, Cristina," he said. He hugged her tightly. "Gosh, I love you, woman." She turned around and accepted several kisses from him. "Why, Mr. Hunt, you're kissing me in front of all of these people?"

"I don't care what anyone thinks," he said. "This is my house and I will kiss anybody I want. Fortunately, I only want to kiss you."

"Thanks for having the kids over. I know that you really didn't cater for them," she said.

"Don't worry about it. We have tons of food and Bruce and Chuck went overboard last night with the goodie bags. I think they were making a couple of extras for themselves," he said. Cristina laughed, as she spotted Owen's two friends, who had the children enthralled with a couple of games. "They really are big kids, aren't they?" she said. He nodded. "They are never going to grow up," he agreed. Bruce waved at them; he was happy that his friend finally had the girl he wanted.

The party went really well. Lots of food was shared, games were played and the magician and his monkey went down well with the children. Even Simon had a good time because Maddie had taken him under her wing and introduced him to her best friends. It was coming close to 6 p.m. and Cristina was awaiting the arrival of her boss to come and pick up his children. He had already landed at JFK and was driving to Greenwich Village to get his children. Most of the children had already left by that time. The only children still there were the Barnes children, Janelle's two boys and Maddie, of course. Janelle and Cristina were cleaning up in the kitchen, when they suddenly heard loud voices coming from the living room. To Cristina, it sounded like Maddie and Ashley, one of the twins.

"No, she's not," she heard Maddie say.

"Yes, she is," Ashley shouted back.

"She is not going to be your new mommy," Maddie screamed back. "She is my Uncle Owen's girlfriend."

"Yes, she is. My daddy is handsome and wonderful," Ashley yelled. "She can't help but fall in love with him."

"She loves my Uncle Owen and she is going to marry him," Maddie screamed.

"We will see about that," Ashley shrieked, giving Maddie a shove.

Maddie was not going to take that, as she shoved back. Cristina and Janelle made their way from the kitchen just in time to see the shoving match.

"Stop it!" Cristina screamed, as she separated the two girls. "Now, both of you, this is not the way to handle your disagreements. I will speak to you both separately about this."

"Hey, hey," Owen came out from his office. "I can hear you guys. What is going on?"

The two little girls were still glowering at each other when the doorbell rang. Cristina opened the door. It was her boss, Mr. Barnes.

"Hello, Cristina, are the children ready?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes, they are," Cristina said, shaking her head when she thought about what had just transpired. She gathered the two girls and Simon and handed them over to their daddy. "Ashley got into a shouting match with Maddie. I will speak to her about it, tomorrow, when I get back."

"I am sorry to hear that," Mr. Barnes said. He looked at his daughter. "I will also speak to her about it." The little girl gave him a defiant look. Cristina handed the goodie bags to her boss.

"Oh, by the way, I have the car you gave me to drive around the kids," she told him.

"That's okay, drive it back when you come back to work, tomorrow night," he said. "Sorry about everything."

"It's okay," Cristina said. "I will see you tomorrow." Mr. Barnes left with his children.

"Well, I better go, too," Janelle said, aware that there was going to be a conversation with Maddie about the argument. "Come on, boys, let's go." Her two children followed her out of the front door.

Owen and Cristina turned to Maddie. "Maddie, what was that all about?" Owen asked.

"That horrible girl said Cristina was going to fall in love with her daddy and she was going to become her mommy," Maddie said. "That's not going to happen, right? Cristina, you love Uncle Owen?"

"Yes, I love Uncle Owen and that's not going to happen," Cristina told her. The little girl ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "I knew it," she said. "You love us, not them."

Cristina looked at Maddie in her eyes. "Maddie, you have to understand, whatever I feel for Ashley, Courtney or Simon, will never change the way I feel about you. I love you and I love your Uncle Owen."

"Okay," Maddie said.

"Why don't you go up and take a bath and change into your pajamas?" Cristina said.

"Okay," Maddie said, as she went up the stairs.

Owen looked at Cristina. "That's not going to happen?" he asked, revealing his own anxieties.

"No," she said, as she reached up and took his face into her hands and kissed him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. Thank you.**


	15. Chapter 15 Separated by an ocean

Cristina had been working for the Barnes family for about three months, so it was now mid-June. Her school semester had ended in May and she was continuing to work during the summer. It was more work because the children were no longer in school and she had to spend the entire day with them, during the week.

As for the other part of her life, Owen, Cristina and Maddie had developed a set routine. Owen and Maddie would pick Cristina up every Friday night; she would spend the weekend with them; then, they would drop her off back to the Barnes brownstone on Sunday evening.

There was still resentment and jealousy between the Barnes children and Maddie because they all vied for Cristina's attention and affection. For the most part, Cristina was able to navigate well between the two households, until it seemed that her responsibilities at the Barnes household encroached on the time that she would have spent with Owen and Maddie.

No more so than when Mr. Barnes decided to take his family, including the nanny, on a one-month trip to Europe. Owen was at work on a Thursday, when he got the call from Cristina about the trip.

He saw her name pop up on his phone. He answered, happily. "Hey, you," he said. "You don't usually call me during the day. What's up?"

"I have the most awesome news," Cristina said. He could hear the excitement in her voice.

"What happened?" he said, pleased for her, whatever it was.

"Mr. Barnes is taking the entire family, including me, to Europe for a month. We're going to visit six countries. Isn't that spectacular? I have never been to Europe before," she said. "My parents can't afford something like that."

"Europe? For an entire month?" he was flabbergasted. "But isn't your birthday in two weeks' time. I had plans."

"Oh, we can celebrate that when I come back. I am only going to be 23. It's not like if it is a milestone birthday or anything like that," Cristina said. What she didn't know was that Owen had planned to go to California for a Napa wine-tasting adventure. Just him and Cristina. Maddie was going to stay over at Janelle's place for the weekend. It may not have been a milestone birthday for Cristina but for Owen, it was important because it was her first birthday with the two of them as a couple.

"If you had wanted to go to Europe, I would have taken you," he said. "You would just have to ask."

"Well, I am actually working, too, so I am getting paid for being there. I will be still looking after the kids because we'll be going on sightseeing tours and he needs help in making sure the kids don't wander away or get lost," Cristina said. "Anyway, just wanted to tell you that because I am packing right now. We're leaving tonight for London. So, goodbye. I love you."

"Hey, wait a minute, we have to keep in touch while you're abroad," he said.

"Well, I'll carry my laptop and piggyback on any wireless connection, so I will send you emails and photos," she said. "Don't call me. I wouldn't be able to pay for the roaming charges."

"Okay, alright. I love you, Cristina. Be good," he said.

"I love you, Owen. Tell Maddie that I will miss her," Cristina said, before hanging up.

He was not at all happy. There was nothing good about this. Sure, Cristina would probably have a great time in Europe, discovering new places and having amazing experiences. He was going to be stuck in New York, without her. He wasn't going to see her for an entire month, plus he would have to postpone their birthday trip until she came back. Worst of all, she was going to be seeing Europe with another man. This job was really eating into his couples' time with Cristina.

Deep down, he was a little worried about Barnes and his intentions. Even though Cristina had assured him that he didn't have to worry that she would develop any romantic feelings about the man, he didn't know if Barnes shared Cristina's sentiments on the issue.

He was deep in thought, when Janelle knocked on his door. "Hey, Owen, do you have the Mercer file?" she asked. She noticed his dejected expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Janelle, I don't need you to take Maddie again for that weekend in two weeks," he said.

"What's the matter? You cancelled Cristina's birthday trip?" Janelle was surprised.

"I have to. I just got a call from her. She is heading to Europe for a month with the Barnes family," he said.

"Oh, that shot your plans down," she said. "I am sorry. Are you okay with this? Her being alone with her boss and his kids in Europe?"

"No, I am not okay with this. Can't you tell from my mood? I wish she would just quit that job and move in with me," he said. "I will take care of her. She doesn't have to work."

"Well, I can see how and why you're uncomfortable with her working situation but she is an independent, young woman," Janelle said. "I can see why she would want her own money and independence."

"You're not helping, Janelle," Owen said. "But what I am most afraid of is because she fell for me, she could fall for her new boss. I don't want history to repeat itself."

"Well, that is a legitimate fear. But do you trust her?" Janelle asked.

"Yes, I trust her but I am not sure about him," Owen said, sinking back into his chair.

"She seems to be a girl with a good head on her shoulders, Owen. You seem to be forgetting that her boss isn`t you. She fell in love with you. Trust the girl," Janelle said, picking up the Mercer file from her desk, before leaving.

* * *

><p>The days without Cristina were terrible. It wasn't as bad as the month earlier in the year, when he had no contact with her but still, he missed her so much. She was very faithful in sending emails and photos from anywhere she was in Europe. Maddie examined the pictures of Cristina with the Barnes children to see if Cristina was showing them too much affection. Owen looked for body language cues between Cristina and Barnes to see if they were getting closer. He cringed when he saw Barnes' arm around Cristina's shoulder in a picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Maddie and Owen could not help but be jealous.<p>

Her emails were fun and informative, full of anecdotes about the places they visited, the food they ate and the things they saw. Owen just wished he was the one, sharing the experiences with her, not her boss with his arm around her shoulder.

* * *

><p>Barnes was pleased he brought Cristina along because she kept the children entertained and they hung on to her every word. He would have to give her an extra week's salary for the awesome job she was doing in looking after the children. He hated to admit it but just a couple of years ago, he was not as close to his children, as he was now. When his wife died a few years ago, he was still an absentee father, chasing the big career on Wall Street. With her death, he was forced to become a full-time father and a better parent. He had gone through a series of nannies, since her death but none of them clicked as well as Cristina did with his children. He wondered if it was because she was so young.<p>

Really young, he thought. She was actually 17 years younger than he was. Her 23rd birthday was coming up and he decided that he would take her out to dinner in Rome because that was where they would be, when her birthday came around. He would laugh at some of the disapproving looks he would get from people, when they saw them together. Even though she was going to be 23, she looked younger than that and there were the obvious assumption that he was a sugar daddy with a teenaged girlfriend.

"So, Cristina, your birthday is coming up," Barnes said. "I would like to take you out to dinner in Rome. I am sure we can find a nice restaurant to celebrate it with the children."

"That is very kind of you, Mr. Barnes, but you don't have to. It really is not necessary," she said. "The fact that you're taking me across Europe is a gift in itself."

"So you've never been to Europe?" he asked.

"No, my parents can't afford it," she said. "I am so happy to be able to see it."

"Well, you can tell me all the places you haven't been able to visit and when we go on vacation, maybe we can visit some of those places," he said.

"That's very nice of you," she said, smiling at him. She loved to travel and to see places she had only read about was a dream come true.

"Well, about that dinner, I know I don't have to but I think the kids would enjoy spoiling you a bit. You've been really good to them and to me. I don't think I would have been able to manage this trip without your help. It is a time like this that I wish Deedee was still here. She is missing so much," he said, thinking of his late wife.

"Sir, may I ask how your wife died?" Cristina asked.

"She died in a skiing accident," Barnes said. "She fell and hit her head. That was it. I couldn't believe it myself. It was so sudden."

"I am so sorry to hear that, sir," Cristina said. She looked at Barnes, who had this very sad expression on his face. "Mr. Barnes, I would be honored to have dinner with you and the children for my birthday."

"Great," he said, smiling. "I will make the reservations." As he walked away, she hoped that Mr. Barnes would find someone that would make his life complete. He was a good man and she could only wish him and his children the happiness that they deserved.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the Atlantic, things were not so rosy in New York. When Owen got the pictures of Cristina's birthday dinner with the Barnes family, he started to seethe on the inside. So did Maddie. Uncle Owen had promised that before he and Cristina went off on her birthday trip to Napa, they would have had their birthday dinner with her. There Cristina was, smiling in her pictures at a birthday dinner with those children. Maddie went off in a huff.<p>

Owen stared at the pictures. It was clear to him that Mr. Barnes had bought earrings as a birthday gift for Cristina, since she was showing them off in her pictures. They were red pear-shaped studs, possibly rubies, which were her birthstone. Owen was peeved. He could have been in Napa, celebrating her birthday with fine wine at a vineyard restaurant. They could have been together and he could have been giving her his birthday present. He was not happy at all.

He sent her back a curt email, wishing her happy birthday and mentioning that she seemed to have had a great birthday celebration. That was it; he wanted to say more but he felt might have said some things that he would have later regretted.

Cristina got his email and was a little puzzled. She would have expected Owen to be a little more effusive in his birthday greetings. It was strange, she thought, but she put it out of her mind, since the children were calling her, as they were headed to Venice that day.

For the next two weeks, Cristina continued to send her emails with photos of her travels. All she got back from Owen were these terse emails that were about two sentences long, acknowledging that he got her email and saying that she seemed to be having a good time. These emails were so different from the ones she had received from him before her birthday.

Just before she was to return home from Europe, she sent him an email, asking him what was wrong. She received another short email, saying that they needed to talk. She was flummoxed. What had she done wrong? Did he want to break up with her? Her brain started to work overtime on what could it be that was bothering him.

As soon as she came back to New York, even though she was tired from traveling, she got the taxi to drop her off at Owen`s place. She rang the doorbell, since she didn't have the key to his townhouse with her. She was so excited to see him.

He opened the door and looked at her. "Oh, you're back," he said. She was surprised by his nonchalant attitude to her return. She was expecting to be hugged and kissed many times over. Something was surely wrong, she thought.

"Where's Maddie?" she asked, as she stepped into the foyer.

"She's out on a playdate," he said. "So how was your travel back? I know your trip was fantastic, given all the photos and emails you sent me." He knew his tone sounded a little sarcastic but he couldn't help it. His insecurities were showing.

"It was fine. A little tiring but fine. I am sorry but is something wrong? You said you wanted to talk so I am here. I came straight from the airport to see you and I would have thought that you would have been glad to see me but it seems that I am wrong," she said, catching the tone in his voice. "If you're not interested in seeing me, I guess I could get a taxi to go home."

She turned to open the door and stepped outside. She closed the door, went down the stoop and hailed a taxi. As she was getting into the yellow cab, Owen opened his front door.

"Don't go, Cristina. I am sorry. Don't go," he called out to her from the top of his steps. She looked up at him.

"So what will it be, miss?" the cab driver said. "Are you staying or going?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. I am depressed these days so I don't feel like writing, so reading your comments will probably help to cheer me up**.


	16. Chapter 16 A new twist

"Yeah, miss, are you going or staying? I haven't all day. If you're not coming, I see another fare down the street," the cabdriver said. Cristina looked at Owen's pleading face. "Yes, I am staying. You can go," Cristina said. The cabdriver sped off to ensure he got the passenger before anyone else.

She headed back up the stoop, where Owen held the door open for her. He followed her into the living room.

"Okay," she said. "Clearly, something is wrong. Did I do something to upset you? Your attitude towards me in the emails that you sent me, were particularly strange. So, what is it, Owen?"

He took a deep breath. "You know your birthday fell right smack during your vacation time. Well, before you went off on your trip to Europe, Maddie and I had birthday plans for you. We were going to pick you up and have dinner with just the three of us at your favorite restaurant. Then, I was going to drop off Maddie at Janelle's for the weekend and then we were going to board a flight to California and we were going to go to Napa for a wine country visit for the entire weekend."

"Oh…" she said, as comprehension dawned on her.

"So, when you told us about how you were going to Europe for a month, that dashed all of our plans, especially mine. So when we saw you having your birthday dinner with the Barnes family in Rome, it just hurt," he said. "We didn't get our chance to celebrate with you, especially since we think that we mean more to you than they do. There you were in your birthday dinner pictures, showing off your presents and laughing and having fun with them. Okay, I know that sounds childish but Maddie and I felt slighted and more than a little bit jealous.

"So that's why my emails became rather short. I didn't want to say anything that I may have later regretted," he finished.

"Um, why did you not say something earlier? About your plans," she asked. "I would have understood."

"It was going to be a surprise," he said. "But obviously, I was the one who got the surprise."

"I am sorry," she said, coming forward to hug him. "That your plans got shelved. If you want, we can do anything you want to do. My birthday has already passed but we can still celebrate it, if you want. We can go to Napa, next week. Or maybe go to the Hamptons," she said. "That's closer and Maddie can come if you like."

He shook his head. "I love my niece very much but there is no way she is going to be hanging around on my first birthday celebration with you. There is going to be too much hanky-panky involved in this for her to be around."

Cristina laughed. "So where would you like to take me?"

"I guess we can go to the Hamptons. We can drive down on Friday night after our birthday dinner with Maddie. I will still have to include her in that. Then, we drop her off at Janelle's place and you and me in the Hamptons for the entire weekend, until Sunday night," he said.

"That sounds good and we won't have to waste time in an airport or an airplane. Two hours to go and two hours back," she said. She hugged him again.

"Cristina, it has been a month, you know," he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her hair. "Can we go upstairs, now?"

"Oh….oh," she said. "You want to do things upstairs." She laughed, loudly. "What kind of things, may I ask?"

"Lots of pleasurable things. I have missed you so much. My body has been aching for you," he said. "Climb on my back. I will give you a piggyback ride up the stairs."

She happily climbed on to his back, as they both giggled their way up to the third floor. He put her down on the bed and started removing all of her clothes. "Nude is better," he said. He then unceremoniously started stripping off his clothes and jumped on her.

"Whoa, Owen, you are eager, there. Slow down," she said, laughing, as he starts kissing all over her body.

"Are you crazy? I can't slow down. I haven't seen you in a month. There is a lot of loving backed up in me," he said, as he started to give her the benefit of his skilful tongue and mouth.

"Oh, God, you are so good at this," she said, closing her eyes and just letting him do whatever he wanted with her.

"I see you called me by my rightful name," he chuckled.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "But you are really, really good at this. Don't stop. Oh, oh, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, baby, " he said. "Why don't you let me show how much I love you?" He pulled up so they could kiss. She could taste herself on his lips. Their tongues met and entangled with each other, as their kisses deepened while he eased himself into her. She moaned as she felt him enter her. That first entry always was one of the most pleasurable moments, she thought. As he started working into a fast rhythm, he pushed her legs apart, so he could get in as deep and as hard as he possibly could. God, he loved this woman, he thought. When their bodies joined and became one union, he never felt that there could be a greater ecstasy than that. When they climaxed, they both felt the release of tension of being apart for a month.

He rested himself upon her. "I really did miss you, babe," he said, as he gently kissed her breast.

"Me, too," she said. "I thought about you, everyday, even as I was seeing the Colosseum. I wondered what you would have thought about it."

"We will go together, one day. I promise you. I will take you anywhere you want to go," he said.

"Mr. Barnes told me that I should make a list of places I have not seen and we could go there on family vacations," she said.

The mention of Mr. Barnes' name caused a sudden shift in emotions in Owen. He rolled off of her. She could tell that his mood had changed.

"What's the matter?" she asked, trying to read his face.

"Did you have to mention his name?" he said. "We were having a moment that is ours alone and then you spoil it by saying his name."

"He's just my boss," she said. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"Because I am jealous, can't you tell? He gets to see you all week and I only get the weekends. I know that there is nothing going on between the two of you but it doesn't help me that you live in his house and you go on vacations with him and his family," he said. "To be honest, I just don't like it that you're working and living in another man's house."

"But I have got to work, Owen. How am I going to pay my bills?" she said.

"You know you don't have to work. You can live with me," he said. "I have this whole big house with just Maddie and me. You were part of this household. You were the best part of us. You made us want to come home everyday. When you're not here, it's like something is missing. You're missing. You're what makes us complete as a family," he said. "Move in back with us. I will take care of you."

"That's all very nice, Owen but I want to work. I need to make my own money," she said.

"Well, you could still move in with me. But get another job, not another nanny's job. Get a job in school, become a teaching assistant. There is nothing that says that you must be a nanny," he said. "Please I can't take this any longer."

She thought for a moment. "I will think about it," she said. It was true that she really didn't have to get a nanny job; there were lots of jobs available at the University. She did like being a nanny but she knew after she got her master's degree, she would not be a nanny again. So maybe it would be wise to find something else.

"Please, that is all I ask," he said.

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Great timing," Owen said. "We've just finished."

"Really, I thought we could have a second go at it," she said, giggling.

"Okay, let me get rid of this person and I will be back," he said. "Don't go away."

He pulled on his pants and ran down the stairs. He opened the door. It was Maddie, back from her playdate.

"Uncle Owen, I am back," she said. She turned around and waved at her friend's mom, who had just dropped her off.

"I can see this," he said. He made a mental note that there was not going to be a second go at it.

"Hey, I have a surprise for you," he said. "Guess who is here?"

"Cristina!" she screamed. "Yay." She ran up the stairs and burst into Uncle Owen's bedroom.

"You're back, you're back," Maddie yelled, as she saw her former nanny. Thankfully, Cristina had already put on Owen's robe, though she was still naked underneath it.

"Yes, I am back," Cristina said, as she accepted the hugs of the child.

"So that means we can have our birthday dinner, now and you and Uncle Owen can go on your trip," Maddie shrieked.

Owen came into the room. "Yes, Maddie, we are going to have our family birthday dinner." As usual, Maddie showed her glee by dancing it out in the bedroom.

* * *

><p>They did have their birthday dinner, where Maddie presented Cristina with her present. It was a drawing of her, Owen and Cristina. "It's beautiful, Maddie," Cristina said.<p>

"I worked on it for three days," Maddie said, proudly. "This is our family. You, me and Uncle Owen."

Owen's present was a diamond tennis bracelet with matching diamond stud earrings. Cristina had never owned anything that extravagant in her life.

"Thank you," she said. "This is just awesome." She put on the earrings and the bracelet, immediately.

"They look lovely," Owen said, kissing her.

After dinner, Owen and Cristina drove to the Hamptons, where Owen had rented a house. They spent two days, soaking up the sun, sailing, swimming, indulging in fine dining and making love. It was an amazing two days, Cristina had to admit. On Sunday evening, Owen dropped her off at the Barnes household, with the promise that she would seriously think about giving up that job.

He went to Janelle's house to pick up Maddie.

"Hey, Janelle, I am here for Maddie. Where is she?" Owen enquired, looking around the house.

"Owen, she is upstairs. I need to talk to you. This is very important," Janelle said. She had a very distressed look on her face. "Come to the study."

Owen was intrigued. What was it that that had Janelle in such a state?

She closed the door of the study and went to her desk, digging into a draw to pull out a card.

"Today, Maddie, the boys and I went to that place near the water for brunch this morning. Maddie had gone to look at the boats and came back running, saying a man was following her. I finally saw the man and he kept calling Maddie by the name of 'Caroline.' I told him that he scared the little girl. He looked at Maddie and went into a state of shock." Janelle said.

"Did you call the police for him?" Owen said, very alarmed that maybe Maddie could have been kidnapped.

"No," she said. "He told me his name was Brandon Cromwell and that he was an architect. He handed me his card." She gave Owen the card.

"He said that Maddie looked just like his daughter, Caroline except Maddie was a little bit bigger. He said his daughter Caroline was five. I told him that Maddie was seven and he was scaring her," Janelle said. "He apologized and kept staring at Maddie. Then, his wife came up with her children – a boy about nine, a little girl about five and a two-year old toddler.

"It's true, Owen, Maddie looks just like his daughter, Caroline. He asked me if I was Maddie's mom. I told him that I was taking care of Maddie for the weekend while her uncle went on a weekend trip. He asked me your name and I told him. He asked me about Maddie's mother and I told him that she died in a car accident.

"And here is the kicker, Owen. He asked me if Maddie's mother was named Elizabeth," Janelle said, swallowing hard. "I told him yes."

Then Janelle took a deep breath before she said, "I think that Brandon Cromwell is Maddie's father."

* * *

><p><strong>AN : Please leave your comments. I really do enjoy reading them.**

**A/N 2: If you are an avid reader of my stories, I hoped you noticed that I updated all six stories this week. That's because I am going on vacation and I just wanted to make sure all of the stories were updated before I left. Going to see my mom in Georgia for a bit.**


	17. Chapter 17 Brandon Cromwell

Owen took Maddie home from Janelle's house. Maddie sat in the back seat and chattered all the way home but he really wasn't hearing what she was saying. He could only think about Brandon Cromwell and what his intentions were.

Did Cromwell want to fight for Maddie's custody? Or did he want to just get to know her? He wondered how Cromwell would even explain the existence of Maddie to his wife. He also realized that Elizabeth probably had not been truthful about Maddie's conception at all.

If Brandon Cromwell had only been a one-night stand as she had claimed, then it would have been highly unlikely that he would have remembered her name that well. It was clear to Owen that Elizabeth and Brandon had probably been in a relationship with Elizabeth, disappearing after she learned that she was pregnant. He wondered how his sister could do that to her baby's father.

As they arrived home, Maddie went straight to her bedroom, while Owen headed to his study. He stared at the business card for five minutes, before he decided to finally make the call.

The phone rang three times, before a friendly voice answered the phone. "Hello, Brandon Cromwell here. How can I help you?"

"Good evening, Mr. Cromwell. My name is Owen Hunt. You gave your business card to a friend of mine," Owen said, feeling rather uneasy.

"Ah, Mr. Hunt. Yes, I did give my card to your friend. I am so glad that you called. I think we have much to discuss," Cromwell said. "Regarding Maddie."

"Okay, would you like to come across to my office at Goodridge & Peters at 10 a.m. tomorrow?" Owen asked, tapping a pencil to work out some of his anxiety.

"Ah, the law firm," Cromwell said.

"Yes," Owen confirmed. "Is that good with you? I will advise the receptionist to expect you."

"Yes, I will be there," Cromwell said. "I am very anxious that we meet."

"Alright, then. See you tomorrow. Goodbye," Owen said, hanging up the phone.

Later that night, as he tucked Maddie into bed, he stroked her long brown hair, so unlike the blonde hair of his sister and himself. Her green eyes were also different from the blue eyes that he and Elizabeth both possessed.

"Good night, Maddie," he said. "Have a great sleep."

"Good night, Uncle Owen. I love you," she said.

"I love you, too, Maddie," he said, as he left the room and turned off the light.

* * *

><p>The next day found Owen pacing in his office. He was feeling really stressed at the moment. He then got the call from the receptionist that there was a Mr. Cromwell out in the lobby to see him.<p>

Owen wiped his palms against his pants to make sure that they were not sweaty before he met this man. He knew immediately who the man was. He was tall with brown hair the same color as Maddie's.

"Good morning, Mr. Cromwell," Owen said, stretching out his hand for the man to shake. The man took his hand and gave him a firm shake.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Hunt," the man said. Owen could also see that Maddie possessed the same green eye color as this man.

"Come this way to my office," Owen said. Cromwell dutifully followed him into his plush office.

"Very nice office," Cromwell said. "This whole building has great bones."

"Ah, yes, Janelle told me that you were an architect," Owen said. "Please have a seat." Cromwell settled into one of the luxurious armchairs. "Do you want some coffee? I can get my administrative assistant to get that for you."

"No, no, it is alright. Let's just get right down to it," Cromwell said. "I only have an hour before I need to get back to my office."

"Well, okay then," Owen said, as he took his seat behind his desk.

The man let out a breath before he spoke. "I believe that I am Maddie's father. When I saw her on the pier on Sunday, I totally believed that she was my daughter, Caroline. The same hair, the same sort of build, except Maddie is a bit taller. So I followed her, thinking she was Caroline. When I realized that she was not Caroline, I was in total shock when I got a good look at her face, she looked so much like my daughter and my daughter looks like me," he said.

"Well, the possibility that Maddie is your daughter may be quite high," Owen said. "I take it you knew my sister, Elizabeth."

"Dear, sweet, free-spirited Elizabeth," Cromwell started. "Beautiful girl. She was about 22 when I met her in a club. My wife and I were separated and I had moved out of our apartment and into my own apartment.

"I was feeling the burdens of being a young husband with a baby and maybe, I wasn't mature enough to handle it. So that's why my wife and I split," he said.

He continued, "The Elizabeth I knew was everything I needed at the time. She was happy and free, lived life by the moment. I really thought I was falling in love with Elizabeth and then one day, after three months together, she just disappeared on me. She moved out of her apartment, left no forwarding address with her landlord, changed her cell number and it was like she disappeared off the face of the earth. I went to that restaurant where she was working and they told me that she quit and had told no one where she was going to work, next. I was going out of my mind."

Owen interjected. "I guess that was when she found out she was pregnant and decided to clean up her act. No more drinking, partying or going to the clubs. She had moved in with me, until the baby was born. She always had a flair for designing, so she started studying that. She said she needed to take care of her baby with a decent job. She couldn't be a waitress, forever."

"I suppose that is what happened. But I still don't understand why Elizabeth never told me about the baby," Cromwell said.

"Elizabeth actually told me the father of the baby was a one-night stand. I had no idea that she was in any relationship but knowing my sister, she probably wanted to spare you the burden of another baby. It is clear that you told her about the troubles with your wife and the stress you felt when your first baby was born. Maybe, she just didn't want to do that to you," Owen said.

"So she never told me about the baby to spare me the burden?" Cromwell said, slapping his forehead. "Oh, Elizabeth!"

"Well, it is clear you have reconciled with your wife because Janelle said that you have two more children younger than Maddie – your daughter, Caroline and a toddler."

"Yes," Cromwell said. "After Elizabeth, I decided it was time to grow up and accept my responsibilities. We reconciled afterwards."

"And now that we have all of that out of the way, can I ask what your intentions are, regarding Maddie?" Owen asked. He was anxious to find out what the man was going to say.

"First of all, Mr. Hunt, I would like to confirm that Maddie is indeed my child. I have no doubt that she is mine, given that she looks so much like my other daughter. So I would like to request that we do a DNA test," Cromwell said. "I have already researched it. It won't hurt. All you have to do is take a swab of her inside cheek. I would greatly appreciate that it be done."

Owen thought for two seconds before agreeing to the DNA test. "Then what would be the next step?" He greatly wanted to find out if this man had the intention of fighting for custody of Maddie.

"I would like to get to know Maddie. I was denied the opportunity to even know of her existence," Cromwell said. "Then if that goes well, I would like to introduce her to my family. I would like her to know that she has brothers and a sister."

"How are you going to explain the sudden appearance of a daughter who is younger than your eldest child and older than your middle child?" Owen asked. "That could be a ticklish situation."

"I know. But after we do the DNA test, I will definitely discuss it with my wife," Cromwell said. "Then we can go from there. Here is the name of a lab where this kind of test is done. Can you bring Maddie this evening to have the swab taken?" He got up and handed Owen the business card of the lab.

"Okay," Owen said. "If the results are positive, I would need time to discuss the situation with Maddie before I introduce you to her."

"That is to be expected," Cromwell said. "I guess that's it, for now. Thank you for your understanding." The two men shook hands. "I will see myself out."

As he left, Owen called Cristina. She was between classes at school, so she answered the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Hunt and why are you calling me at this hour? I usually don't get calls from you during the day," she said.

"Something really important has come up," he said. "A man, who I believe is Maddie's dad, came by this morning. He wants to take a DNA test and if it is positive, he wants to get to know Maddie."

"Oh, my God," Cristina shrieked. "Is he legit?"

"Yes, I think he is," Owen said. "I am a little wary because right now, all he says is that he wants to get to know Maddie but I am afraid of the possibility that he would want to fight for the custody of Maddie."

"But you are her legal guardian and you and her mother were the only family she knows for her entire life," Cristina said. "Can that even be possible?"

"I am going to get a lawyer to protect our interests. It might be wise to have legal representation from now on," Owen said. "I hope this guy's intentions are above board but it is best to be prepared."

"Yeah, I think so, too," Cristina said. "Anyway, gotta go to my next class. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yeah, taking Maddie down to a lab for a DNA test this evening," he said.

"Gosh, this is moving so fast," she said. "Okay, bye. Keep me posted."

* * *

><p>Owen picked up Maddie from school, later that afternoon. Maddie was surprised. Usually, her babysitter would pick her up from school.<p>

"Hi, Uncle Owen," Maddie said, running towards him and giving his legs a hug. "Why are you here?"

"We're just going to do a little test this afternoon," Owen said.

"A test? What kind of test? I didn't study for it. I will fail it, Uncle Owen," Maddie said, worriedly.

"Not that kind of test; a medical test," he assured her.

"Is it going to hurt?" Maddie said. She knew about shots and needles and she really didn't like those.

"No, no. They are just going to take a swab of your inside cheek. That is all," Owen said, in his most soothing tones.

"What for?" Maddie asked, curious.

"It's just a little test. Nothing to worry you about," Owen said. "Afterwards, let's go get some dinner and ice cream."

"Okay, oh boy," Maddie said. "Now that doesn't sound so bad, anymore."

* * *

><p>After the test and the dinner and the ice cream, Owen and Maddie headed home. She went up to her room to do her homework, while Owen went to his study to call Cristina.<p>

When she answered, he said four words, "I need you, now."

"Hey, you know I usually don't come over during the week," she said. "Responsibilities, I have."

"Yes, but I need you now. This is why you have to quit that job. So you could be home with Maddie and me," Owen said, his voice breaking. "I can't be with you when I want. I want you to hug me. I am feeling so low. I don't know if I am going to lose my niece. I need your support, Cristina. I need you here."

"Oh, Owen. Fortunately, Mr. Barnes is not working late today and is already home. I will take the subway over," she said. "But you will have to drop me back tonight."

"Okay," he agreed. At least she was coming over. He needed her so much. He turned on his computer and started a Google search on Brandon Cromwell, hoping he could find out as much as he could online.

Half an hour later, he heard Cristina's voice calling his name. "I am in the study," he called out.

She came running to the study, her face looked flushed. He got up, moved quickly towards her and pulled her into his arms. They hugged tightly without saying anything.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for coming."

"It's okay," she said. She searched his face and she could clearly see the anxiety that he felt.

"Why are you so worried?" Cristina said, giving him two light kisses on the lips.

"I am scared I am going to lose her," Owen said. "I think the DNA results are going to prove that Maddie is indeed his daughter and I am afraid he is going to launch a custody battle for her."

"We don't know that as yet," Cristina said. "The best thing we can do is get prepared if that happens."

"I've already done that. I gave the heads-up to a lawyer in my office, who deals with custody cases," he said. "He said that he was ready to take the case, if necessary."

"Good," Cristina said. They were interrupted by a small knock on the door.

"Come in, Maddie," Owen said. The brown-haired girl opened the door and her face lit up, when she saw Cristina.

"Cristina," she screamed as she ran and hugged her former nanny. "You are here. I am ready to be tucked in. Can you come and tuck me in?"

"Yeah, both Uncle Owen and I will tuck you in," Cristina said. Maddie held on to her hand and started pulling her to go upstairs. Owen followed, silently.

As they put Maddie to bed, the little girl remarked, "This is just like the old days, Cristina. You tucking me into bed. I miss it, dreadfully."

"Yeah, me too," Cristina said.

"Yeah, but you're tucking the Barnes children in bed, now," Maddie said, sadly. Cristina stroked her hair and kissed her. "I still love you, Maddie," she said.

"Yeah, I love you, Cristina," Maddie said. "You too, Uncle Owen. I love you, too." Owen gave Maddie a kiss on the forehead, before he and Cristina left the room.

They went into Owen's bedroom. She lay on the bed, while Owen joined her and rested his head against her chest. Soon enough, he fell asleep. Cristina reached over and picked up the receiver of the phone. She called Mr. Barnes and told him that she would not be back for the night and would be there, early in the morning to get the kids ready for school. He agreed and asked if everything was alright. She told him that she was needed at the moment. He understood.

She lay there, stroking Owen's hair, until she fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate reading them. It helps me with the thinking process.**


	18. Chapter 18 Maddie meets her dad

It was a week later that Owen received the official results of the DNA test via email. It was as he feared. Maddie was indeed Brandon Cromwell's daughter. He stared at the results for two minutes, when the phone rang.

Owen knew that it could only be one person, who probably received the results at the same time as he did.

"Mr. Hunt, this is Brandon Cromwell. I trust that you have received the results from the laboratory," Cromwell said.

"Yes, I have. The results are positive. Maddie is your biological daughter," Owen said.

"Well, I had no doubt that would be the case," Cromwell said. "Now that we have the proof out of the way, I would like to be introduced to my daughter."

"You do realize that I will have to speak to Maddie, first," Owen said. "Remember the story that I told you that Elizabeth said that Maddie was the product of a one-night stand."

"Yes?" Cromwell answered.

"Well, she told Maddie a different story. When Maddie asked about her father, Elizabeth said that she and her father had broken up before she found out she was pregnant with Maddie. I guess Elizabeth felt that would have been a better story than to tell her it was a one-night stand," Owen said.

"That's a lot more truthful than the one-night stand story, though," Cromwell said. "Except she found out she was pregnant first and then she disappeared on me. I can go this over and over in my mind about all of the reasons why she did it. But I can't change anything, so I am just moving forward with this. I want to know my daughter."

"As I said before," Owen said. "I will discuss it with her and then I will give you a call about making the introduction."

"That's fine," Cromwell said. "Just don't let it go too long before you call me. I am very anxious."

"Understandable," Owen said. "Goodbye, Mr. Cromwell."

"Goodbye, Mr. Hunt. Hoping to hear from you soon," Cromwell said, before he hung up the phone.

The first thing Owen did was call Cristina. She answered, a little breathless. That was because she had been chasing Simon to get into his bath.

"Hey, Cristina," Owen said, a little dejectedly. "It's me. I got the results."

"Oh," she said. "And they are positive, I can tell from the sound of your voice. So what is the next step?"

"Well, he definitely wants to meet with Maddie. But I have to talk to her, first. Can we go out to dinner and we can talk to her, together?" he said. "I need you to be there with me."

"Okay, when do you want to do it?" she asked.

"The sooner, the better. What about tomorrow? Hopefully, your boss will be able to come home early and stay with his kids," he said.

"Alright, I will ask him," Cristina said. "I will explain the circumstances. He is a good man."

"Thanks, Cristina. I will make the reservations," he said.

* * *

><p>The next night found Cristina, Owen and Maddie at the little girl's favorite restaurant. She liked it because they had a children's menu where she could order food, made especially for kids. After they had ordered their food, Maddie noted, "This is so nice, Cristina, that you could come to dinner with us, in the middle of the week. We usually have dinner only on Fridays and on the weekend with you."<p>

"Well, today is a special day," Owen said.

"Why? It's not my birthday or your birthday or Cristina's birthday. I know, I know, you are getting married!" Maddie exclaimed, excitedly. "And you brought me here to tell me." Her eyes were shining with glee.

"No, not that," Owen said. "But someday, I would hope that we would be able to tell you that news." He took Cristina's hand in his and squeezed it.

"It's something important, though," Cristina added. "Listen carefully to your uncle."

"Okay," Maddie said, her excitement was now changed to anxiety. "I am a little scared."

"Don't be scared," Owen said. "In fact, it might be really a great thing."

"Okay," Maddie said. "Tell me. I am ready."

"Remember when you were little and you asked your mommy about your daddy," Owen started.

"Yes, she told me that she and my daddy had broken up and then, she found out she was pregnant but she didn't know where my daddy was to tell him," Maddie said, solemnly.

Owen did not feel the need to correct that misconception that Maddie had about her dad. It would just place Elizabeth in a bad light and he did not want anything to sully Elizabeth's memory in Maddie's eyes.

"Well," Owen said. "We have found your daddy and he would like to meet you."

Maddie's eyes grew wide like saucers.

"You found my daddy?" she screamed. "And he wants to meet me?"

"Yes, Maddie," Owen said. "Is that okay with you?"

The little girl thought for a moment before she answered. "Yes, I would like to meet my daddy because when everyone in school talks about their daddy, I don't have anything to say about my daddy."

"Okay, Maddie," Owen said, in a resigned tone.

"But I still want you to know that even though I want to meet my daddy, I still love you and Cristina very much. You are my family," Maddie said.

"Thank you, Maddie," Owen said. "That makes me feel a lot better. Actually, Maddie, in a way, you have already met your daddy."

Maddie's jaw dropped open.

"Remember when you went to the pier with Janelle and her boys, there was a man who was running after you and calling you Caroline," Owen said. She nodded. "That was your daddy."

Maddie could not speak. She remembered the man and he had scared her when he started running after her and calling her "Caroline."

"Yes, I remember. He had three children with him," Maddie said.

"Those are your brothers and your sister," Owen said.

"I have brothers and a sister. I have brothers and a sister. Wow, oh, wow!" Maddie yelled. The other diners took a look around at the screaming child.

"Shh, Maddie! Not so loud," Cristina said. "I know you're excited."

"I am," Maddie said, nodding furiously.

"Well, your daddy wants to be properly introduced to you and he wants to spend time with you to get to know you better," Owen said.

"When?" Maddie said.

"I will call him when we get home and maybe, he can come over during the weekend," Owen said.

"Okay," Maddie agreed.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning dawned very sunny. Owen opened his eyes. The light streaming into his room had woken him up. Cristina was still asleep, next to him. He pulled her closer to him. She murmured.<p>

"Hey, wake up," he said. "Cromwell is coming to meet Maddie, today."

"Yeah," Cristina said, softly. "And if he wants to take her out, I am to go with them."

"Yes," Owen said. "He already agreed and understood. We really don't know him. Let's go get Maddie ready. He is going to be here in two hours."

They rolled out of bed, brushed their teeth and went to Maddie's room to find out that she was already up. She had brushed her teeth and was already changing into her clothes.

"I see you are excited to meet your daddy, Maddie," Owen said.

"Yes, I am. Do you think he will like me?" Maddie asked, looking up at her uncle.

"I am sure he will. Who wouldn't love a pretty little girl like you?" Owen said. "Plus you are funny and cute."

"Thanks, Uncle Owen," Maddie said, as she allowed Cristina to comb out her long, brown hair.

After Maddie got dressed, they all went down for breakfast. They were just finishing up breakfast, when they heard the doorbell.

"That's my daddy," Maddie screamed. She ran to open the front door.

"Wait, Maddie," Owen said. "We don't know who that is. Let me open the door." Maddie, dutifully, waited for Owen to catch up with her. Cristina followed Owen. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. It was indeed Cromwell.

"Good morning, Mr. Hunt," Cromwell said.

"Good morning, Mr. Cromwell," Owen said. "I trust that you found your way here easily."

"Yes, I did. Lovely place that you have here," Cromwell said.

"It was decorated by Elizabeth. She did the whole place," Owen said.

"Ah, she was very talented," Cromwell said, looking around. He was a man, who appreciated fine architecture and furnishings. He looked at the little girl, holding on to the young Asian girl's hand. He smiled at the child. She, shyly, hid behind Cristina.

"Hello, Maddie," he said. "My name is Brandon Cromwell. I am your father."

Maddie stepped forward and shook her father's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cromwell."

"Now, now, we don't have to be so formal. You can call me Brandon, until you feel more comfortable, calling me something else," Cromwell said.

"This is my girlfriend, Cristina," Owen said. "She will be accompanying you, today."

"Ah, yes," Cromwell said. He extended his hand and Cristina politely shook it. She looked really young, he thought.

"Yes, well, I thought that maybe we could go to the children's museum, and maybe, have lunch and then I will bring you back home," he said. "Does that sound good, Maddie?"

"Yes," Maddie said. She was glad Cristina was coming, too, because she really didn't know this man at all, even though he was her father.

"Let me just change my clothes," Cristina said, running up the stairs. Maddie followed her, excitedly. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two men.

"Would you care for a seat in the living room?" Owen asked.

"Thank you," Cromwell said, taking a seat. He knew it was an awkward situation between them. He felt the need to say something.

"Mr. Hunt, I hope you don't view me as an interloper in your family life," Cromwell said. Strangely, that was exactly what Owen thought he was.

"I am not here to make trouble for you, your girlfriend or Maddie," he continued. "I just want to know my daughter. I was denied the opportunity to do so and I want her to know me, too."

"I can understand that," Owen said. "Have you discussed your situation with your wife?"

"Yes, I have," Cromwell confirmed. "I told her about Maddie and how she was conceived during our separation. She was not happy but she said it was not the child's fault."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Cristina and Maddie. Cromwell quickly got up from his chair. "Well, I guess we will be on our way," he said. "I have my car parked across the street."

Cristina and Maddie both kissed Owen before they left. He stood at the top of his stoop and watched them get into Cromwell's car. With his family gone, he couldn't shake this empty feeling. He went back into the house, went to his study and anxiously awaited their return.

The hours ticked by very slowly, as he waited for them to return. He wandered around the house, surfed the net, read a book and cleaned the house. He made himself a sandwich for lunch and sat in his kitchen, feeling very alone. At 1.30 p.m., he heard the front door open and he eagerly ran to meet them. He was so happy to see them. He enveloped both of them in a huge hug.

"We've only been gone for a half-day, Owen," Cristina said, her voice muffled against his chest.

"I still missed you," he said. He gave them each a huge kiss – Maddie on the top of her head and Cristina on her mouth.

"So how was the time spent with your father, Maddie?" Owen asked.

"It was good. The museum was fun and the lunch was awesome," Maddie said. "He was very good to me."

"Cristina?" Owen wanted her confirmation.

"Yes, we had a great time. Mr. Cromwell seems to be a kind, caring man," Cristina said. "He took good care of us."

Owen's emotions were mixed. He was relieved that Cromwell turned out to be an okay guy but he was also afraid to lose Maddie's affections to her father.

"I am going upstairs, now," Maddie said. "I think I need a nap. Playing in the children's museum took a lot out of me."

Owen pulled Cristina into the living room, where they snuggled with each other on the sofa. Cristina had seen how the appearance of Cromwell had taken a lot out of Owen, these days. He wasn't as happy as he used to be. He seemed anxious and uneasy. She knew his greatest fear was that he would lose Maddie, both emotionally and physically.

She decided to give him some good news.

"I have been thinking," Cristina started.

"About what?" he said, nuzzling his head against her. He always felt good, whenever she was in his arms. She completed him.

"I was thinking that I am going to quit my job and move in with you and Maddie," she said, looking up at him.

His heart jumped with joy, as he hugged her tightly. "That would be the greatest thing you can do for me, right now. I need you so much, now. I am sure Maddie will be happy."

"I was thinking about it for a while," she said. "It seemed the right thing to do. I love the Barnes kids but I need to be with my own family."

"Yes, yes, yes," he said, as he kissed her all over her face. He stopped. "Are you going to get a next job? You know you don't have to," he said.

"Yes, I am going to get something in school," she said. "Teacher's assistant or library assistant. I still need my own spending money."

"Fine," he said. "As long as you are with us. What about the Barnes?"

"I am going to help Mr. Barnes choose a new nanny for his kids. I will stay until she moves in. He has been a good employer and I want to make sure they are taken care of, before I leave," she said.

"Well, that was more than I got when you left my employ. All I got was a resignation letter and you moving out of the house, without telling me," he chuckled.

"Well, that was because I had feelings for you and I couldn't continue living here, anymore. Besides, we had that big fight and I was so mad but I also loved you at the same time," she said. "I know I didn't do the right thing but I couldn't help it."

"Well, it's okay, now," he said. "We're going to be together."

"Together," she repeated, as she accepted his lips on her own.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. Thank you for your reviews. It helps in the writing process.**


	19. Chapter 19 Dinner at the Cromwells

It was a full month before Cristina actually moved into the Hunt home. She had to choose a new nanny for the Barnes children, carefully. She wanted to make sure that they would be happy. When Owen came to pick her up on her final day in the Barnes household, the children clung to her and cried. Owen almost felt sorry for them but he was happier for himself and Maddie. Cristina was coming back to where she belonged.

As they drove back to Owen's townhouse, he watched her silently wipe a tear away from her cheek. He reached out and squeezed her hand.

"That was hard," Cristina said. "I love those kids, especially Simon. He's so shy; I hope he and the new nanny get along well. She moves in, tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess it was hard for them, too," Owen said. He didn't want to sound too happy about his good fortune because he knew Cristina was sad about leaving the children.

Maddie, who was sitting in the back seat, was really happy that Cristina was finally moving in with them.

"So, Cristina, you are coming out with me and Daddy, tomorrow, as usual?" Maddie asked. Maddie had finally progressed from calling her father "Brandon" to "Daddy." It had taken four Saturdays of visits and adventures for that to happen.

"Yes, I guess," Cristina said.

"That's good. I have another question to ask you both," Maddie said.

"Go ahead, Maddie. Ask away," Owen said.

"My daddy wanted me to ask if you, Cristina and I could come over for dinner at his house to meet his family," Maddie asked, hopefully. She really wanted to meet her siblings. "He called me and asked if it would be okay with you."

"I will think about it, Maddie," Owen said.

"Well, when he comes tomorrow, can you give him an answer?" Maddie said. "I hope you would say yes because I want to meet my brothers Phillip and Jonah and my sister Caroline. That sounds so nice. I have brothers and a sister."

"Okay, Maddie. I will let him know," Owen said. While his anxiety about Brandon Cromwell had decreased significantly, he still did not entirely trust the man. This is why Cristina still went out with Brandon and Maddie on his Saturday visits. He still had this unfounded fear that someday, Brandon would disappear with Maddie, never to be seen again.

They went out for their usual Friday dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. While Maddie and Cristina chattered away, Owen was deep in thought. He made up his mind about having dinner at the Cromwells.

* * *

><p>The next morning, when Brandon Cromwell came at nine to pick up Maddie and Cristina, it was Owen, who opened the door for him.<p>

"Good morning, Brandon," Owen said.

"How are you, Owen?" Cromwell said. Both he and Owen had also progressed to using each other's first names.

"Doing fine. Maddie and Cristina will be down in a minute," Owen said. "Maddie is choosing a new outfit and Cristina is helping her. You know how it is with girls."

"Yes," Cromwell said. "My Caroline is very picky about what she wears and she always knows which shoes go with which dress."

They both chuckled. "Speaking of Caroline," Cromwell continued. "I called Maddie earlier this week and I told her to ask you whether your family would like to come to dinner to meet my family."

"Yes, Maddie told me," Owen said. "And I promised her that I would have an answer for you this morning."

"Well?" Cromwell asked, anxiously.

"Well, given our obvious ties, now, I think it might be prudent that our families meet. Maddie is particularly anxious to meet her siblings," Owen said.

"Yes, I want her to meet them, too," Cromwell said. "I already spoke to them about it about a week ago. They were surprised, especially my oldest, Phillip. Caroline is happy that she is no longer an only girl. Well, Jonah is only two, so he is too small to know any better."

"And your wife? How does she feel about us being there?" Owen asked.

"Well, in the beginning, she wasn't really too happy about the whole situation. But she said it was not Maddie's fault and she would welcome her into the family since she is my daughter," Cromwell said.

"Okay," Owen said. "So when do you want to do this?"

"Will tomorrow be fine?" Cromwell asked. "I can call my wife and let her know that you have agreed to do this and she can start preparing for the dinner, tomorrow."

Owen thought for a minute. He hadn't expected that it would be that soon.

He nodded his head. "Okay, tomorrow will be fine."

"Good," Cromwell said, shaking Owen's hand. He took out one of his cards and wrote down his home address at the back of it. "Would 6 p.m. be fine? They are young children and would have to get up in the morning to go to school."

"Yes," Owen said. "6 p.m. would be perfect."

It was then that Maddie and Cristina made their entrance into the living room.

"Hello, Daddy," Maddie said, giving her father a huge smile.

"Hello, princess. My, you look very pretty. That dress is beautiful," Cromwell said.

"Thank you," Maddie said, happily. "Cristina helped me choose it."

"Well, you and Cristina have wonderful taste. Well, ladies, are we ready?" Cromwell said.

"Certainly," Cristina said. "Just going to get our coats." She went to the hall closet and took out our light coats for herself and Maddie.

"Well, Owen, I guess I will see you tomorrow," Cromwell said.

"Yes, yes," Owen said. Cristina gave Owen a questioning look. He mouthed the words "talk to you, later". She nodded.

* * *

><p>Later that day, when Cristina came back with Maddie, she sought Owen out in his study. "So what's happening tomorrow?" she wanted to know.<p>

"We're going over to the Cromwells for dinner at 6 p.m," he said.

"Ooh," Cristina said. "That should be interesting."

"Yeah, I think so, too," Owen said. "I just want to see how the other children are going to react to Maddie. Will they accept her or dislike her because she is intruding on their family life?"

"Well, no matter," Cristina said. "We will be here, regardless of whether they accept her or not. She is ours and we want her. Nothing is going to change that."

Owen smiled at her. "Have I told you how much I love you, woman?"

"Everyday," she said. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, tightly. "I am so glad that you moved in," he said. "You belong with us."

"Yeah, me too," she said.

* * *

><p>The next evening, Cristina and Maddie stood in front of Maddie's closet. They were trying to figure out what Maddie should wear. Cristina was already dressed and they just needed to find the right dress for Maddie.<p>

"I want to look pretty," Maddie said.

"You're going to look pretty, no matter what you wear," Cristina assured the little girl.

"I want them to like me," Maddie said, looking up, earnestly at Cristina.

"I am sure they are going to like you, Maddie. You are a very likeable girl," Cristina said. "How about the green dress? That brings out your eyes."

"I wore that to the tea party, last week," Maddie said.

"Okay, what about the lavender dress? You look really nice in that," Cristina suggested.

"Okay, the lavender dress. Lavender is one of my favorite colors," Maddie agreed.

They slipped on the dress, then Cristina combed Maddie's hair into a French braid.

"How do I look?" Maddie asked, after she slipped on her socks and shoes.

"Beautiful," Cristina said. She put out her hand for Maddie to hold. "Uncle Owen is waiting for us, downstairs. He's been ready for half an hour, already."

"Well, we are girls. He should know girls take a longer time to get ready," Maddie said.

As Owen saw them come down the stairs, he said, "I am the luckiest man in all of Manhattan. I get to escort the two most beautiful girls in the city."

Maddie said, "Of course you are, Uncle Owen."

"Ladies," Owen said, putting out his arms for the both of them. They walked out of the townhouse and into his SUV already out on the street. It was a quiet journey for the three of them, each of them were lost in their own thoughts.

When they got to the apartment building, Maddie's heart was beating very fast. She was excited and scared at the same time. She gripped on to Cristina's hand tightly. As they entered the building and stepped into the elevator, Owen remarked, "Well here goes nothing."

They reached the fifth floor of the building and found Apartment 505. Owen rang the doorbell. They didn't have to wait long, as Cromwell opened the door for them. almost immediately.

"Welcome," Cromwell said. "Thank you for coming to my humble abode."

When they entered the apartment, Owen was astonished at the size of the apartment. "This is huge. This is not a humble abode."

"Well, each floor only has five apartments and I don't know if you noticed but there is no Apartment 504. When the building went co-op, I bought out Apartment 504, broke down the walls and made it into one large living place," Cromwell said.

"I know it is clichéd to say this but I love what you have done with the place," Owen said.

"Thank you," he said. Just then, a brunette woman emerged from the one of the rooms. She was holding a toddler and was followed by two children. The boy had a very sullen look on his face, while the little girl was all smiles.

"Ah, Lucy, they are here. This is my wife, Lucy Cromwell and our three children, Phillip, Caroline and the little fella here is Jonah. Lucy, this is Owen Hunt, his girlfriend Cristina and the little beauty is Madison," Cromwell said. Truth be told, Cromwell was a little giddy about introducing his newly-found daughter to his family.

"Welcome," Lucy said. "And especially to you, Maddie." Maddie came forward and shook Lucy's hand. "Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Cromwell."

Caroline looked at Maddie and took her hand. She was so pleased to have a sister. "She looks just like me, Daddy," Caroline said. "Come, Maddie, let's go to my room."

As Maddie disappeared with Caroline to her room, Phillip also went to his room. Lucy put down the toddler.

"Would you like to have a seat in the living room?" Lucy asked. Cristina and Owen followed her to the living room. It was all very awkward, Cristina thought.

"Would you care for anything to drink?" Cromwell asked.

"Scotch would be fine with me," Owen said. Cromwell nodded, as he poured out the drink.

"And you, Cristina?" Lucy said. "By the way, are you old enough to drink? I don't want anyone saying that we contributed to the corruption of a minor."

"Despite my youthful exterior, Mrs. Cromwell, I turned 23 this year," Cristina said. "White wine is fine."

"Okay," Lucy said, as she poured out the wine and handed it to Cristina. "Please call me Lucy. No need to be so formal. So, may I ask, what do you do, Cristina?"

"Oh, I am in the final year of my Master's degree program in psychology at NYU," Cristina said, taking a sip of the wine.

"Ah, I see. So where do you see yourself when you graduate?" Cromwell asked.

"I am hoping to get a counseling job at a school. I love working with children," Cristina said.

"That is wonderful, Cristina," Lucy said. "And Owen, can I call you Owen?"

Owen nodded.

"You are a lawyer, Brandon tells me," Lucy said.

"Yes, I am. Environmental lawyer," Owen confirmed. He hated all of this small talk but he knew that it was just a way of passing time for this awkward meeting.

Maddie and Caroline returned from Caroline's bedroom, hand in hand. "Mommy," Caroline said. "We're hungry."

"Well, okay, then, it is probably time we have dinner," Lucy said. She led their guests to the dining room, while her husband went to get Phillip from his room. It was clear that Cromwell had Phillip had a few words, if one could judge by the boy's stormy look on his face. He took his seat without saying a word.

For the most part, the meal went quite pleasantly. The adults chatted, while Caroline and Maddie giggled in the corner. Phillip said nothing and Jonah just looked on, interestedly at everybody, while his mother fed him.

For dessert, they had all different types of cupcakes they had bought from Sprinkles cupcakes. Phillip was going to take a cupcake, when his father stopped him. "Let Maddie choose first," Cromwell said. "She is our guest."

Phillip glared at his father but said nothing. It was only when Maddie chose the peanut butter chocolate cupcake that he decided to speak. "That's the one I wanted," he yelled. Maddie pulled back her hand from the cupcake.

"Phillip, that is bad manners. If your sister wants that one, let her have it," his father said.

"Nobody wants her here. You're treating her like if she is something special," Phillip yelled. "She's not even my real sister. She's just a half-sister." He turned to Maddie. "Why don't you go away? My family was just fine without you here."

Maddie's eyes started to well up with tears. She ran and hid her face against Cristina's body.

"Phillip, go to your room at once. There will be no cupcakes for you tonight," Cromwell said, sternly.

The boy stalked off and went to his room. He was angry, he was jealous. Why did her dad have to bring this girl into their house? She wasn't better than him. He was mad that the last five Saturdays, which he usually spent with his dad, was now being spent with that girl.

"I wish to apologize," Lucy started. "I am so sorry about that. I am very embarrassed by Phillip's behavior."

"It's okay," Owen said. "It must be hard for him to accept someone new into his family."

Cromwell bent down to Maddie's level. "It's okay, honey. I want you here. You are always welcome here." She turned around and looked at him with a tear-streaked face.

"Thank you, Daddy," she said. She gave him a hug. He hugged her, tightly. It was the first time that Maddie had ever initiated a hug. He was beside himself with joy. "Do you still want that cupcake?"

"No, give it to Phillip. He wants it more than me," she said. "I will take a different one."

"Okay," he said. "Your choice." Maddie took a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting and bit into it. "Yummy." She gave him a big smile.

The rest of the evening passed until it was time for the Hunt family to go home. As they showed them to the door, Cromwell said, "Thanks again for coming. I want to apologize again for Phillip's behavior."

Owen said, "He's just a child, Brandon. He just needs some time."

"Yeah, I hope so because he has to realize that Maddie is not going anywhere. She's my daughter," Cromwell said. He bent down to Maddie's level. "Thank you for coming, Maddie. I will see you next Saturday, okay." She nodded and gave him a hug.

As they drove home, Owen looked back to see that Maddie was already nodding off to sleep. "Cristina, I think next week, we can let Brandon take Maddie out by himself."

Cristina looked at him. That was a huge step for Owen. He was finally trusting Cromwell.

"Yeah, I think so, too," she said, as she reached over and kissed him on his cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	20. Chapter 20 Did that happen?

It was a gloomy Saturday when Brandon came to pick up Maddie for his weekly visitation. Owen opened the door for him.

"Hello Brandon, you are here a little early," Owen said.

"Well, I am always excited to see my girl," Brandon answered. "Are she and Cristina ready?"

"Cristina is not going out today with you guys," Owen responded, noting the look of surprise on Brandon's face. "We thought that you would like some alone time with Maddie."

"You're letting her go by herself with me?" Brandon queried.

"Yeah," Owen said. "Don't you think that it is time? That dad and his daughter get to know each other better without other people around."

"Thank you," Brandon said, clearly aware that he had finally earned Owen and Cristina's trust. He was so happy about that. The last time he had seen Maddie had been at the dinner the Sunday before, when Phillip had his tantrum. He thought about it and decided to ask about how Maddie felt about it.

"So, is Maddie still upset about what Phillip said last week?" he asked.

"Um, I don't think so," Owen said. "Generally, Maddie is a happy-go-lucky girl. She knows she is loved, so it doesn't bother her too much. Phillip is a nine-year-old boy and he probably needs to get used to her existence."

"Yes, but he and his siblings have me for the entire week. Maddie only sees me like four hours on a Saturday. I wish he would understand that," Brandon said. "On the other side of the spectrum, Caroline loves Maddie. She is so happy that she has a sister. She wanted to come with me this morning so she could also go out with Maddie. But I thought I would ask Maddie first."

"I am sure Maddie won't have a problem. She is pretty excited to have a sister," Owen said. "So where are you going today? It's a pretty dreary day."

"I thought we could go roller skating and then grab lunch somewhere new and then go to the bookstore and get some new books," Brandon said.

"I am sure that Maddie would enjoy that. Maddie should be coming down by now," Owen said. Truer words were never spoken as the sound of running feet down the stairs were heard.

"Daddy," Maddie said, as she ran to give her father a hug.

"Hi, baby," he said, bending down to receive the hug. "So I hear we are going off by ourselves today. Cristina isn't coming."

"Nope," Maddie said. "Uncle Owen wants to spend kissy-time with Cristina." She nodded, gravely as she was perfectly serious.

"Maddie!" Owen admonished.

"Well, I don't blame you, Owen," Brandon said. "She is a lovely girl and you are a lucky man."

"I think so, too," Owen said. Both men chuckled. Maddie looked at them and shook her head. Poor Cristina, she thought, her ears must be burning with people talking about her like that.

"Well, we best be getting on our way," Brandon said. "See you in a couple of hours, Owen."

"Yup," Owen said, showing them to the door and watching them drive away.

"Are they gone?" Cristina asked, coming down the stairs.

"Yeah, so what are we going to do today, now that we are alone for a couple of hours," Owen said. "I can think of several things we can do." He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, please," she said. "You can get that every night."

"I can't help it if I can't get enough of you," he said, grabbing her and giving her a full-on kiss on the mouth.

"I don't have time today even though you are very tempting. I have a job interview," she said. "That's why I was glad that Maddie was going off on her own with her dad. I could do this job interview this morning. I need to get a job. My funds are running on low."

He smiled. "Cristina, you don't pay any rent, food or utilities. And your parents pay for your tuition."

"Well, I do need money to buy personal stuff like make-up and clothes," she said. "I can't depend on you for everything."

"Well, okay, I get that you want some independence," he said. "So what's the job about?""

"Counseling underprivileged kids," she said. "I thought about getting a job at school but that would still be academic and not real experience."

"That sounds like right up your alley," he said.

"I think it would be a great job for actually getting some experience in my field," she said. "All I have been doing so far is nanny and babysitting jobs. I think I need more than that."

"Well, okay. How long will you be gone?" he asked. "We can still do something with Maddie, when she comes back."

"Maybe for a couple of hours. Okay, I would like to go out for the evening," Cristina agreed. She gave him a kiss on the lips and headed out of the door. What Cristina failed to tell Owen that the job interview was in a not-so-nice neighborhood in the Bronx. Well, given that the counseling center dealt with underprivileged and at-risk kids, she was aware that the area could be dicey. But she was confident that she could maneuver it, safely even though this would be the first time she had ever gone to that borough. She got on the train and headed to the Bronx.

At home, Owen busied himself with some office work he had brought home. The house was eerily quiet. He didn't much like it that way. When Cristina and Maddie were there, the house just seemed to come alive with their incessant chatter and loud laughter. He smiled as he thought about it. He could not imagine how he lived in this house by himself before the two of them. His life had changed for the better, when they moved in. He could not think of living without the two of them in his life. He got down to work and failed to notice time passing.

It was only when he felt hungry he realized that it was already lunchtime. Neither Maddie nor Cristina were back at home as yet. He went to the kitchen and made himself a sandwich and had a glass of juice. Soon, they would be back home and they could go out for the afternoon.

By 1.15 p.m., he heard the doorbell ring. He knew that was Maddie and Brandon. He went and opened the door. Maddie stepped inside, looking all tuckered out.

"I'm so tired," she declared.

"We had a very tiring time at the roller rink," Brandon said. "She was falling asleep on herself at the bookstore." He handed Owen a bag with a couple of books in it.

"Well, you can go take a nap, Maddie," Owen said. "Cristina has not come home as yet so you have time for a nap."

"Come, Maddie, give me a hug, before I go," Brandon said. Maddie turned around and went into her father's arms. "Next week, baby."

"Yeah," she said, weakly and started heading up the stairs again.

"See you, Brandon," Owen said.

"Yeah, have a good week," Brandon said, as he left.

With Maddie home, Owen was wondering what was taking Cristina so long.

Cristina had indeed found the counseling center in the Bronx. She had a great interview with the head of the counseling center, who told her about how they provided a haven for the children, who were at risk for joining gangs and starting a life of crime.

"If we can get them on the right path," Joe O'Donnell, the director of the counseling center, said. "We can make this neighborhood a better place. I hope the grittiness of the neighborhood doesn't scare you."

"I am not easily scared," she said.

"So you live in Greenwich Village?" he asked.

"Yes, I live with my family in a townhouse, there," she said. "It's close to NYU so it makes going to school a lot easier."

"Well, this place is a far cry from NYU," he said. "I've had a lot of students come here for jobs but not many stay."

"I want the experience," Cristina said. "And if I am doing good helping these kids, then all the better."

"Good," O'Donnell said. "So when are good times for you to work?"

"Definitely on Saturdays and maybe, two evenings during the week. We have a seven-year-old little girl and I can get the babysitter to stay with her on those evenings," she said.

"You have a little girl? Don't get offended but I don't think you look old enough to have a seven-year-old," he said.

"Oh, she is not actually mine. She is my boyfriend's niece but we're still a family," she said.

"Okay, so I guess we can start you next week," he said. "Unless you want to get your feet wet today and meet some of the kids."

"Yes, certainly," Cristina said. "Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. O' Donnell."

She had only meant to spend a few hours but found herself so fascinated and intrigued by the children's stories of survival in this neighborhood that she wound up spending the entire day. It was about six in the evening, when she finally left.

Cristina was happy, she was a little giddy with excitement about this job. She was going to get actual real-life experience. It was perhaps her excitement that made her a little less wary of her surroundings than she should have been. She took out her phone to call Owen to apologize for not calling him that day. Her phone had been on silent during the interview and she had forgotten to change it to normal mode. She looked at the screen. There were about eight calls from Owen. He must be pissed, she thought.

She listened to his voice messages. They first started off as pleasant, then angry, then angrier, then worried. She had obviously put him through the wringer. She decided to call him and was about to press the button, when a hand was placed over her mouth and she was violently dragged into a darkened alley.

Owen was extremely worried. He had not heard from Cristina for the entire day. When she had not answered her phone, he realized he had not even asked where she was going for this interview. He had left several messages on her phone. By the time, he left his eighth message, he was totally frantic. Where in the world could she be?

Maddie came into the study. "Where is Cristina? I thought you said she would be home, hours ago and we would be able to go out this evening," she queried.

"I know. But I have not been able to get on to Cristina," Owen said. "I am getting worried."

"She'll come home, soon," Maddie said, recognizing how upset her uncle was. She gave him a hug, before she left to return to watching television.

He wondered if he should call the police. He knew that they would not consider her a missing person until 24 hours had passed. He looked at the clock, only nine hours had passed since he last saw her. He decided to call hospitals in Manhattan to find out if an Asian girl with long dark curly hair was admitted. It was to no avail, no one with that description had come in.

By nine o' clock, he was beside himself with worry. He was pacing in his study. He decided to call Cristina's phone again. This time, a man with a very rough voice answered. "What are you doing with Cristina's phone?" Owen shouted.

"So that's her name," the man said. He laughed, derisively before he hung up.

Owen was now going out of his mind. He was going to call the police, when the phone rang.

He rushed to pick up the receiver. "Cristina?" he yelled.

"Um, no sir," a man's voice said on the other end. "Is this the home of Cristina Yang?"

Owen's heart sunk to his stomach.

"This is Detective Larry Cartwright," the voice said. "Are you a relative of Miss Yang?"

"I am her boyfriend, Owen Hunt. She lives with me," Owen said. "Has something happened to her? Is she dead?" His voice cracked as he said it.

"No, she is not dead but she has been beaten up. She was found in an alley in the Bronx," Cartwright said.

"The Bronx? What was she doing there?" Owen yelled.

"Well, she is at Bronx General and I think you should come down here," Cartwright said.

"I am on my way," Owen said. "Thank you for calling me."

Owen screamed Maddie's name. "Maddie, I am going to drop you off at Janelle's house. Cristina is in the hospital, I have to go see her."

On hearing this, Maddie started to cry. "Is she going to be alright?" Maddie squeaked between sobs.

"Yeah, I am sure she is, " Owen tried to reassure Maddie, even though he was not sure himself. "Come on, let's get your coat and we can be on our way. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can find out what is happening with Cristina." Maddie ran to the hallway closet and grabbed her coat.

He called Janelle and told her what happened. Janelle was horrified and asked the same question he had asked. "What was Cristina doing in the Bronx?"

As he dropped Maddie off, Janelle said, "I am so sorry, Owen. Call me as soon as you hear anything."

"Yes," he said, nodding and rushed back to his vehicle. He drove swiftly to Bronx General and rushed to find out where Cristina was. He was directed to a police detective.

"Hello, Mr. Hunt," the policeman said. "I spoke to you on the phone, earlier."

"Yes, Det. Cartwright," Owen said.

"It seems that your girlfriend was mugged and assaulted. She was badly beaten up. Do you know what she was doing in the Bronx?" the detective asked.

"She said she was going for an interview at a counseling center. She didn't tell me where," Owen said. He needed to ask the question but his voice broke as he said it, "Was she raped?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN : Please leave your reviews and comments. Thanks for your input.**


	21. Chapter 21 Recovery

Owen repeated himself. "Was she raped?"

The detective let out a breath of air, before he answered. "She was lucky that he did not get that far. A passing couple heard her screaming and they saved her. Your girl fought her attacker. She has lots of cuts and bruises all over her body and he did hit her on the face. The doctor says she might have some broken bones."

Owen wanted to cry, when he heard her injuries.

"Well, we've taken her clothes for evidence, as well as any DNA evidence under her nails because she scratched the bastard on his face," the detective said. "We think Miss Yang may have been the victim of a mugger/rapist who has been targeting young women in that area, attacking girls with dark, curly hair."

Owen wished he could get his hands on the perpetrator, so he could deal with someone his own size and not petite women.

"Can I see her now?" Owen asked. He was preparing himself for the worst.

"Well, it would be up to the doctor. We already collected our evidence. Oh, there he is. You can ask him," the detective said.

He was a young doctor, seemingly only a resident. He came up to them.

"Are you the next of kin?" he asked. Owen answered in the affirmative, even though legally, it was not true.

"Well, don't be shocked at what she looks like. She does have broken bones and some other injuries and she has taken some blows to the face, so there is extensive bruising. Just be prepared," he said. "Follow me."

As Owen prepared to follow the doctor down to Cristina's room, he turned around, "Detective, I forgot to tell you that I think I spoke to Cristina's attacker."

"What?" the detective said, astonished.

"I called her phone and he answered. Her phone number is 678-555-4521. Maybe you can track it," Owen said,

"Thanks, going to get on that right away. Maybe he left it on and we can triangulate the signal," the detective said.

Owen followed the doctor to the room. There were two other patients in the room. Owen made a mental note to himself that he had to get Cristina moved to a Manhattan hospital, as soon as she was able.

When he saw her, he started to cry. She barely looked like Cristina he knew. If not for her curly, dark hair, he probably would not have recognized her. Her face bore huge purple and red bruises. She opened her eyes, when she heard him crying.

"Hey," she said. He looked up at her.

"Hey, baby," he got up and touched her hair. He didn't want to touch her face, in case he hurt her.

"I messed up," she said, a tear rolling down her battered cheek.

"No, no. This is not your fault," he said. "You were the victim of an evil, evil person. Does everything hurt?"

"Just about," she said. She tried to smile for him but her face hurt to do so. She winced.

"Hey, you don't have to smile to make me feel better," he said. "You're the one who has been hurt."

"Did they catch the guy?" she asked.

"No, but I am sure they are going to catch him soon," he said. They damn better catch that asshole, he thought. He knew that if he could have had a chance to be alone in the room with that guy, he would show him no mercy and beat the crap out of him.

"Good," she said. "Don't want this to happen to anyone else because it sucks."

"You didn't tell me that you were coming to the Bronx for your interview," he said. "I wish you would have. I would have tried and persuaded you not to go."

"I know that. That's why I didn't tell you," she said. "I wish I did. It was poor judgement on my part."

"I am going to see about moving you to a hospital in Manhattan, closer to home, as soon as you are able," he said, looking at the room. He wanted her to be in a her own room, so she could heal in privacy.

"Okay," she agreed. "Where's Maddie?"

"She's at Janelle's house. That reminds me I have to call them," he said. He took out his phone and rang Janelle's number. She listened to him, telling Janelle that she was alive, badly beat up but was going to make it.

He looked at her, "Maddie wants to talk to you." Cristina nodded, so Owen put the phone next to her ear.

"Hi, Maddie," she said. She listened to the sobbing of the little girl on the other end. "Don't cry, Maddie. I am going to be alright."

Through her sobs, Maddie said, "I love you, Cristina. I hate the bad man who did this to you."

"Yeah, I hate him, too," Cristina said. "But I am going to be okay. I will be coming home soon. Not right away, but sometime soon."

"Okay, Cristina," Maddie said. "Bye."

"Bye, Maddie," Cristina said, as Owen took the phone away from her ear.

"Okay, Maddie," Owen said. "Be good and don't give Janelle any trouble. Bye, honey. I will pick you up in the morning."

She looked at him. "Are you staying with me during the night?"

"I want to. But it doesn't seem all that comfortable in this room, especially since you have roommates," he said. He just wished he could whisk her out of there.

He found a chair and dragged it next to her bedside. They talked until she was too tired to talk anymore. He watched her sleep, staring at her bruised and battered face. The rage he felt for her attacker was tempered by the love he had for her. She was so grateful that she was alive. Soon enough, he fell asleep, too, albeit in a very uncomfortable position.

* * *

><p>The next morning, they were awakened by the doctor, making his rounds. It was a different doctor from the one from last night. Owen's whole body ached from sleeping in that chair. But when he looked at Cristina, he felt he could not complain.<p>

"Ah, Miss Yang, how are you, this morning?" the doctor asked. "I am Dr. Houser."

"Okay, I guess, considering the circumstances," she said.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" the doctor said, as he checked her wounds.

"Yes, my boyfriend stayed with me. He made me feel safe," she said. Owen smiled that he could at least give her some measure of comfort.

"Doctor, I was wondering whether she can be moved to a hospital in Manhattan. I am sure she is getting excellent care here but I was wondering whether she could be transferred to a hospital closer to where we live in Manhattan. It would be more convenient and we have a little girl," he asked. He hoped he wasn't sounding like if he was dissing the place. After all, they did tend to Cristina in her greatest time of need.

"Yes, I think she can be moved, later today, if she is not in too much pain. Do you want to move?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Cristina said. "It would be better for Maddie for me to be closer to her."

"Maddie, that's your daughter's name?" the doctor asked.

"Well, actually, she is my niece," Owen said. "She is seven. I am her legal guardian but we are like her parents."

"That's great," the doctor said. "It seems that you are doing really well, considering everything. I will see about getting those transfer orders."

"Thank you," Owen said. "We are very grateful."

* * *

><p>Later that day, Cristina was moved to a hospital in Manhattan. It was a private room and he made sure there were flowers and balloons there to greet her.<p>

As she got comfortable and when the nurses left, "You did this?"

"Yes," he said. "I wanted to make you feel welcome."

"Thank you, nice to see all of these flowers," she said.

"I have to tell you that Maddie is coming by to see you. Janelle is bringing her. I already spoke to her to prepare her," he said.

"You mean how I don't look like myself, where there is more purple skin than normal skin on my face," she said.

"Yeah," he said, caressing her hair.

Half an hour later, they heard the sound of Maddie's voice. Cristina sat up and tried to look as presentable as she possibly could. There was a small knock on the door. Owen called out, "Come in."

Though she tried to hide it, Cristina clearly could see the shock on Janelle's face, when she saw her. Maddie, on the other hand, could not hold anything back and promptly burst into tears. She ran up to Cristina and got in next to her and started sobbing, hysterically. Cristina hugged her close, even though her ribs hurt.

"Hey, Maddie, be careful," Owen said.

"You were so pretty," Maddie said, touching Cristina's bruised face.

"Oh, Maddie, I will get back to normal; the bruises will go down," Cristina said. "I just look like a zombie, now but it will get better."

"No matter what you look like," Maddie declared. "I love you very much. I just want to beat up that man, who did this to you." Owen understood that sentiment very well. So did he.

"Thanks, Maddie. I know you'll protect me," Cristina said, laughing a little bit. Maddie rested her head on Cristina's shoulder.

Janelle, who had been in shock, finally found her voice. "Don't worry about anything with Maddie. She is going to stay with us until you get home, since Owen will probably be here, most of the time."

"Owen, aren't you going to go to work, tomorrow?" Cristina asked.

"No, I called and told them I needed the week off because of a family emergency," he said. "I told them what had happened to you and they told me that I could take as much time off as I needed. But I figured I could take the week off and when you come home, next week, I will hire a nurse to stay with you."

"What about school? I don't want to miss any lectures or assignments," she said.

"I already spoke to Toni about that. She will film your lectures and she will collect any assignments and she got your professors to agree that you can submit all of your assignments online," he said.

"What a relief! You take good care of me," she said, gratefully. "You're really a great guy."

"Thank you for noticing," he said, smiling.

"Well, we better leave," Janelle said. "My husband has the boys in the lobby and they are probably getting restless. Come, Maddie." Maddie reluctantly got up from Cristina's bed but not before leaning over and giving her a kiss. She reached into her knapsack and pulled out her favorite teddy bear.

"I brought Mr. Snookums to stay with you," Maddie said. Cristina knew it was a huge sacrifice for Maddie to do this, as she slept with Mr. Snookums every night.

"Thank you, Maddie. I will take good care of him. When I get out of the hospital, I will give him right back," Cristina said.

"Yeah, you need him, more than I need him, now. He will comfort you in the night," Maddie said, solemnly. "Bye, Cristina."

"Bye, Maddie," Cristina said, hugging Mr. Snookums close to her. She looked at Owen. "You're doing such a good job with that girl."

"Not just me, it is you, too, and Elizabeth," he said. "She is a fantastic little girl." Cristina nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>The week passed and Cristina was soon back at home. Owen had put her back in her old bedroom for the rest of her recovery. A nurse was hired to stay with her during the day. Toni made daily visits, fresh with news about what was happening in school, as well as handing over the lectures that she had filmed. Cristina made sure she kept up with the lectures and assignments.<p>

While she was recovering, the detective called and said they had found the suspect. He came by with mug shots and she identified him on the first try. He said that three other victims had already picked him out in a line-up and she just confirmed that he was also her attacker. Owen was glad that the man was in jail and couldn't hurt any more young women.

Maddie's dad, Brandon and his wife also came to visit, bringing flowers. Maddie's sister Caroline was also now a visitor, since she always came with her dad to pick up Maddie. Phillip still had his problems with Maddie and still would not have anything to do with her.

After a couple of weeks at home, Cristina finally felt it was time to go back to school. The swelling on her face had completely gone down and she looked quite normal. Most of her injuries had healed and she had slight pains now and then, but mostly, she was alright. She dressed carefully that morning. Not many people knew of her injuries, not even her parents. She had declined to call them because they would have become extremely worried about her being in New York.

She went downstairs and had breakfast with Maddie and Owen. After breakfast, it was time to leave. She put on her coat and picked up her knapsack. Maddie and Owen went out of the front door and got into the car.

As Cristina looked outside, she found herself frozen at the top of the stoop. Owen looked up at her. He knew something was wrong. He got out of the car.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She seemed paralyzed by fear.

"I am afraid, Owen. I can't move," she said, her eyes filling up with tears.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. Thanks for your thoughts.**


	22. Chapter 22 Milo

It had been two weeks since the incident on the front stoop, when Cristina became paralyzed with fear. Owen had guided Cristina back into the house before he and Maddie left that day. They tried, again the second day but it was to no avail. Cristina could not get herself to leave the house. The anxiety was too intense.

In light of this, Toni continued to film the lectures for Cristina, while she continued to do all her assignments at home and submitted them online. Toni tried to coax Cristina to come out of the house and go hang out with their friends but she declined. Owen wanted her to come out on the weekends with him and Maddie, like they used to but she would just watch them from the window, while they drove away.

Owen knew that this could not continue for much longer. Cristina was, after all, only 23 years old – a vibrant, young woman with her whole life ahead of her. She could not become a shut-in. A counselor had come in to speak to Cristina but it wasn't really working for her. He was at a loss to figure what to do, that is, until the day he saw the solution walk right past him at the park.

He and Maddie had gone to the park that Sunday morning. He had asked Cristina if she would like to come, but she refused. Her sad eyes haunted him. He wanted Cristina to enjoy life with him and Maddie. He missed having her right next to him, when they went out.

He was watching Maddie play with some other children, when a blind, young man with a black Labrador dog walked right past him. He watched as the dog guided the young man to a park bench. As the young man sat down, his canine companion lay on the ground next to him. He wondered if a guide dog would help in Cristina's situation. He had heard that dogs have been used to help war veterans suffering from PTSD to help them cope.

"Good morning," he said to the young man. "My name is Owen Hunt. I don't mean to bother you but I need to ask you a question about your guide dog."

The young man put out his hand for Owen to shake. "Good day to you, sir. I am Louis Baker. And this is Lucy." He patted the black Lab's head.

"May I sit?" Owen asked. "Certainly," the young man said. Owen sat and started to tell him what had happened to Cristina and her fear of the outside world, right now. Louis sympathized with his predicament.

"I was wondering whether a dog such as Lucy would be able to help Cristina," Owen said.

"Well, I got Lucy from an organization that trains dogs for the blind. You would have to get a dog from one of those organizations that help people with PTSD," Louis said. "I am pretty sure the dog will be able to help her."

As soon as Owen got home from the park, he searched furiously online to locate an organization that could provide such a dog for Cristina. He took down all of the relevant information. He was certain that this could be the solution for Cristina. After all, she was a noted dog lover from a child and she did have a dog at home, Roscoe. He also knew that Maddie would welcome the presence of a dog in the household, since she had been asking for one for the longest time, now. He contacted the organization, explained the situation with Cristina and what had happened to her.

The administrator told them that they worked mainly with people who have undergone traumatic situations and that Cristina would be an ideal case for one of their dogs. Owen arranged for a trainer and a dog to come to visit them, given that Cristina was not going to leave the house. He wanted to see if the dog was going to be a good fit for her.

She was lying on the couch, reading. "Cristina," he said, taking her legs and putting them on his lap, as he sat down. "I have a surprise for you. Somebody special is coming to visit you, today."

She looked at him, suspiciously. "Who?" she asked, giving him a sideways glance. "You know I hate surprises."

"You will see. I think you will like him," Owen said. Just then, the doorbell rang. "Ah, it seems like our visitor is here a little bit early." He raised her legs off his lap and got up to answer the door. Cristina straightened herself up and got into a seating position. She put on her shoes. She had to look presentable for whoever was coming to visit her.

Owen opened the door to let in a smiling red-headed woman and a beautiful chocolate brown Labrador with a shiny coat and light brown eyes. Cristina jumped up from the sofa and came running to the front door. She dropped to her knees and allowed the dog to lick her face.

"Is this my visitor?" Cristina said, hugging the dog. She so missed having a dog around the house.

"Yes, Cristina," Owen said. "This is Georgia Peele from the Helping Paws program and she has brought this doggie to see you, today." He turned to the handler. "What is the dog's name?"

"His name is Milo," Georgia said. "It seems that he has taken a liking to you, already."

"I love dogs," Cristina said. "I have one at home called Roscoe. I miss him a lot."

"Well, Cristina, may I call you Cristina?" Georgia said. Cristina nodded. "Well, Milo is not just a pet like Roscoe. He has been trained to help people who have undergone trauma."

"Like me," Cristina said, softly to herself.

"Yes, we know people who have undergone can experience nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety attacks, fearful of surroundings. Does that sound familiar? Milo has been trained to recognize your anxiety and calm you down in those instances," Georgia explained. "We know you have problems dealing with going outside. We hope a dog like Milo will be able to help you to navigate the outside, once again."

"So Milo is mine?" Cristina asked, hopefully.

"Well, it all depends on whether you can make a great team, if you are a good fit for each other," Georgia said. "I need to train you as well on how to interact with Milo. After all, he is not a pet; he is a service dog with a job to do."

Cristina looked up, gratefully at Owen. "So can we get started?" Cristina asked, anxiously. Owen watched as Georgia helped Cristina and Milo work together. It was clear that Cristina was already quite taken with the dog. He was pleased about that.

After two hours, Georgia and Milo left. It was hard for Cristina to see the pup go. "He's gorgeous, Owen. When is he coming back?"

"I am glad that you like him," Owen said. "Georgia will bring him back every day until she thinks that you are both ready." Cristina looked forward to Milo's visit until the day came that Georgia finally left Milo in Cristina's care. Maddie was ecstatic about the dog living in their house. Milo had a huge bed in the utility room and she would often go in there to play with him. To Maddie, Milo was a pet. To Cristina, he was something much more. He was her access to the outside world.

He was going to help her get back out there. She and Milo practiced by going out in the backyard. She knew it was a poor substitute, since the walls of the backyard provided a safe haven. The true test was going out on the streets. She knew she had to conquer her fears and anxieties because her finals were coming up and she would have to go to school to do them. If not, she would fail the semester and she could not afford to do that.

She had a couple of false starts. She would open the front door and she and Milo would stop at the top of the stoop. He was very patient, waiting for her to make the first move.

"I know you're waiting, Milo, but I guess I am not ready," she said. They tried it a second time and a third time. Then, finally, the fourth time, they stayed at the top of the stoop for a full five minutes before Cristina finally took the step forward. She slowly made it down the stairs and on to the street. There was a cold breeze and she shivered a bit. Maybe it was from the coldness but more likely it was from her own fear. She figured if she could make it to the end of the block, which would be a good start.

To any observer, it looked like a girl walking her dog, albeit a little bit slowly. But the turmoil inside Cristina did not the match the serene exterior that she and Milo exhibited. She made it down to the end of the block and decided to turn back, when a man rushed past her and almost knocked her over. With that sudden movement, she had a flashback of the man beating on her and she dropped to her knees. Her heart started racing and her breathing became increasingly shallow as the fear overtook her body. She felt like she could pass out. Milo licked her face as she held on to the dog for support. With his reassuring presence, Cristina finally calmed down and got up.

"Are you okay, miss?" a teenaged boy asked, as he had seen her fall to her knees and then slowly get up.

"Yes," Cristina said. "Had a bit of a panic attack, there. My doggie calmed me down."

"He's a good dog," the boy said. "Can you make it back to your house?"

"Yes, thank you," she said. "It is only a couple of houses away."

"Alright, then," the boy said and quickly went on his way.

Cristina made it back to the house, ran up the stairs and closed the door behind her. That was a bit too much, she thought. But she was determined. She was not going to allow this to slow her down. An hour later, she and Milo were back out on the street. This time, she made it to two blocks. The third time, she decided to walk to the nearby park. Though it was a bit cold and there weren't that many people around, she sat down for a bit and watched folks pass her.

There was a blind young man with a black Labrador dog, walking by. She liked that he walked with confidence in his step. His dog had given him the assurance that he could navigate these streets by himself. She wanted to be like that. After all, she was not physically disabled, as the young man was. All of her physical wounds had healed; she just had emotional scars. She looked down at Milo, who looked up at her with his soft brown eyes.

"You're a good boy, Milo," she said. "You'll be there for me when I need you." It was as if the dog knew what she was saying, as he placed his head on her lap. They walked back to the townhouse, just before Owen and Maddie came home. She didn't tell them that she had been out for the day.

The next day, after breakfast, Owen was surprised to see Cristina putting on her coat, scarf, gloves, hat and boots. "You're going out?" he said. She nodded. She put the service dog vest on Milo.

"I am going to school today," she said. "I am going to class. The professors are giving hints about finals and I can't miss that."

Owen looked a little less sure. "Are you sure you are ready?" he asked, a little concerned.

"Yes," she said, firmly. She opened the front door and stepped outside, walking down the steps. She put Milo at the back of the SUV, while she went and sat in the front passenger seat. Maddie and Owen stood dumbfounded at the top of the stoop.

"Well, come on," she said. "I don't want to be late."

"Yes, ma'am," Owen said. He jumped in the car, leaned over to her and gave her a huge smack on the lips.

"Remind me to write out a large donation check to Helping Paws," he said, happily.

"Yes, I will," she said, as she smiled back at him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your reviews. Thank you for your comments.**


	23. Chapter 23 New beginnings

There was a pounding on their door. Owen knew it was Maddie. Christmas morning was very important for little girls, he knew.

"Come in, Maddie," he said. He looked over at Cristina, who was still asleep. She looked so peaceful, curled up next to him.

The little girl bounded into the room, her long, brown locks flying. "Get up, Uncle Owen. Time to open the presents." She went and shook Cristina, who groaned and put the pillow on top of her head.

"Get up, Cristina," Maddie said.

"Okay, okay, Maddie," Cristina said. She got up and put on her slippers, while Maddie held on to her hand and pulled her out of the bedroom and down the three flights of stairs. Milo was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting.

"See, Cristina, even Milo is excited, this morning," Maddie said. Cristina patted Milo's head as they headed to the Christmas tree in the living room. Owen slowly made his way down the stairs. He had the camera in hand.

Maddie attacked the presents under the tree, separating them in four piles – Cristina's, Uncle Owen's, Maddie's and Milo's. They decided to start a tradition that everyone would get to open one present before they would start on any other presents. Cristina chose Owen's present to her – it was a trip to Hawaii. Cristina had never been to Hawaii in her life and she was beyond excited.

Owen chose Cristina's present to him – it was another painting that she did of the entire family – him, her, Maddie and Milo. "You are so talented," he said, as he kissed her on the mouth.

Maddie chose a present from Uncle Owen and Cristina – it was a violin. Maddie was showing great musical aptitude and a natural talent. She jumped up and down when she opened her present. "I love it," she screamed.

Milo stood next to his pile of presents, waiting patiently. "I will help you, Milo," Maddie told him. "I know you don't have any fingers." She tore open a present and it was a soft toy. Milo picked it up, immediately, indicating that he knew it was his own.

Everyone then started opening all of the presents. Soon, in their living room, was a giant pile of gift bags, discarded gift paper and ribbon. It seemed to be a very good year for presents, Maddie concluded.

"Let's have breakfast," Cristina said, as she ran to the kitchen, to make hot cocoa and French toast for the family. This was the first Christmas she had not spent with her parents and her brother. She had always made this breakfast for her family on Christmas day. She missed them, desperately. She had called them on Christmas Eve via Skype and they all sang Silent Night, together, as they always did every year. Owen knew that she missed being with them but their loss was his gain. He could not have imagined not spending Christmas with Cristina.

"So we are going over to the Cromwells for lunch," Owen said. "That saves us from cooking a whole, big meal."

"Yeah," Cristina said. "The best way to celebrate Christmas – let someone do all of the hard work."

"I have my presents for my daddy and his wife, and my brothers and sister," Maddie said. Even though Phillip still treated Maddie like she did not exist, she still made sure that she bought him a Christmas present because he was still after all, her half-brother.

After breakfast, they went to church and when they came back, they changed into their clothes to go over to lunch at the Cromwells. Everyone was smartly dressed, even Milo, who wore a festive sweater under his service vest.

As they entered the Cromwells' building, the doorman gave Milo a look of disdain. Maddie noticed it, immediately.

"Why did he look at Milo like that?" she asked.

"That's because they don't allow dogs to live in this building," Owen said. "But they can't deny Milo entry into the building because he is a service dog."

"That's so mean," Maddie said. "Phillip, Caroline and Jonah can't even have a doggie, if they wanted. Doggies are pure love."

They entered the elevator and Owen pressed the button for the fifth floor. They soon found their way to Apartment 504, which had a huge, festive wreath on it.

Brandon opened the door and he had a huge grin on his face. "Welcome, Owen, Cristina and Maddie. Merry Christmas. Maddie, I think I deserve a hug and a kiss." Maddie dutifully gave her father a hug.

"I brought presents for the family," Maddie said, handing her father the gifts she had in her hand.

"So you have," Brandon said. "We have presents for you, too."

Brandon's wife Lucy, Jonah and Caroline soon appeared. Kisses and hugs were shared.

"I want you to open your presents, Maddie," Brandon said. He took her over to the Christmas tree. She opened each present with an "ooh" or an "aah." The last present was in a box.

"That's one from me," Brandon said. Maddie opened the box and found a pair of Minnie Mouse ears.

"Minnie Mouse ears," Maddie screamed. "I love Minnie."

"Well, there is a reason that I am giving you these, Maddie. I am taking the family to Disney World for five days over the New Year's holiday and I want you to come," Brandon said. Maddie started jumping up and down and ran to Owen.

"Can I go, Uncle Owen? Can I? Please, please, please," Maddie screamed.

This present really took Owen by surprise. He didn't know what to think. Yes, he trusted Brandon but still in the back of his mind, he still had the unsubstantiated fear that Brandon was going to take Maddie away. Going to Disney World meant that Maddie was going out of state with her father.

He felt that Brandon had put him in a spot. He really didn't know how to answer, especially since Maddie was so excited.

"I will let you know, Maddie," he said. He knew he and Cristina were going to a couple's trip to Hawaii and he had planned to leave Maddie at Janelle's house but her going to Disney World would allow Maddie to have a good time, too.

"I know it is a big deal, Owen," Brandon said. "But I will good take care of her."

"I know you will," Owen said. "But it will be the first time that she will be going on a trip and I am not there."

"Okay, Owen," Brandon said. "Just please think about it. I really would like to take Maddie with us."

"Yes, I will give it great thought," Owen said. Just then, Phillip finally showed up with a surly expression on his face, that is, until he saw the chocolate brown Labrador, lying there quietly at Cristina's feet.

"Oh, my, a doggie!" he yelled. He rushed forward and petted Milo. "What is his name?"

"Milo," Maddie said. "He is a service dog. He helps Cristina, when she goes outside."

"He is beautiful, Maddie," Phillip said. He had never seen a dog in their building before because dogs were not allowed to live there. It was the first time he was seeing Milo because unlike Caroline who had seen Milo before, he had never visited Maddie at her house.

Phillip was completely enthralled by Milo and the brown dog obliged by licking Phillip on his face. "He likes me," Phillip said. "Daddy, he likes me."

"Yes, I can see that," Brandon said. He was beyond joyful because it was the first time that Phillip had actually addressed Maddie by name and spoken to her.

Maddie, being an astute little girl, saw this as an opening to make peace with Phillip and picked up the present she had for him and gave it to him. "This is for you, Phillip. Merry Christmas." He was surprised to receive a present from Maddie. After all, he was still resentful of her presence and had not bothered to get her a present.

"Thank you, Maddie," he said. He opened it, immediately. It was a video game that he had wanted, very badly. Maddie had remembered him, asking his father for the game, when she had visited their house, one time.

"I can't believe it," Phillip yelped. "Thank you, Maddie!" He gave her a hug. Phillip really felt bad that he had not got a present for Maddie. "I am sorry that I didn't get you anything," he said.

"It's okay," Maddie said. "Christmas is about giving."

Everyone watched this exchange between the two children and was experiencing a mixture of shock and happiness, especially Brandon. He never thought this day would come that Phillip was actually civil to Maddie – in fact, more than civil. He was actually being friendly.

"Do you want to come to my room to play the game, Maddie? You can bring Milo, if you want," Phillip said.

"Okay," Maddie said, as she and Caroline followed Phillip to his room. "Come on, Milo." Milo looked at Cristina for approval. "Go ahead, Milo." The dog followed the children, his tail wagging.

"Well, that is a change of attitude," Lucy said. "I never thought the day would come."

"Who knew Milo would be such an ice-breaker?" Brandon said. "If I had known this, I would have invited him to come over, sooner."

Cristina nodded. "Milo has powers that you don't expect from a dog. Look what he has done for me." Owen agreed, as he reached over and took her hand and kissed it.

The night turned out to be a very pleasant one. Food and much laughter were shared among the two families. Brandon could not get over how well Phillip and Maddie were getting along. It would make the trip to Disney World that much easier. If only Owen would agree, he thought.

Owen had been pondering the whole Disney World question throughout dinner. He watched how well Maddie was relating to her siblings. He knew he could trust Brandon, who had done all he could to establish a relationship with Maddie. He made up his mind. He was going to allow the Cromwells to take Maddie to Florida

Before it was time to leave, he pulled Brandon aside and told him that he had permission to take Maddie to Disney. Brandon was so overwhelmed with joy that he actually hugged Owen. "Thank you so much," he said. "I will never forget this."

"It's okay, Brandon, just bring her back safe and sound," Owen said, as he disentangled himself from Brandon's embrace.

"I will," Brandon said. "You have my word."

* * *

><p>So a couple days later, Cristina, Owen and Milo headed off to Hawaii, while Maddie went with the Cromwells to Florida.<p>

It was totally strange for Cristina and Owen to be without Maddie. She was always part of their family outings, Owen thought, but he corrected himself. It was not a family outing; this was a couple's outing. He had planned this couple's getaway for a while, now. He wanted it to be special for her; especially after all of the trauma she had suffered within the last two months.

He had rented a villa on a resort that allowed dogs. After all, Milo was now an integral part of the family, given how much he had helped Cristina be able to cope with the outside world. He hoped that someday, maybe, Cristina's fears would become assuaged and Milo would not be needed so much as a service dog and more as a family pet.

He watched as Cristina completely relaxed, soaking in the sun and sea. She and Milo would take early morning walks on the beach and then, she would crawl back into bed, next to him.

They watched the fireworks on the beach on New Year's Eve, cuddled together on a blanket. On New Year's Day, they had a champagne breakfast on their balcony, which had been prepared by the staff, assigned to their villa.

"Wow," Cristina said. "This is a great way to start the new year. Look at this gorgeous spread."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, I told them to go all out on this breakfast."

"Thanks! I am famished!" she exclaimed, as she sat down.

She was about to take a sip of champagne, when she saw something at the bottom of the glass.

"There is something at the bottom of this glass," she said. She took a closer look – it was a ring with a large solitaire diamond.

"What's that?" she said, even though she knew fully well what it was.

"Take it out and get a better look at it," he said. She fished it out from the bottom of the champagne flute with a knife and then wiped it dry on her napkin. She stared at the diamond – it sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.

Owen came to her side and dropped to his knee. "Will you marry me, baby?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. Please let me know your thoughts on whether you are enjoying this story.**


	24. Chapter 24 Hesitations

"Um.." Cristina said. That was not Owen wanted to hear. That hesitation in her voice – no man asking a woman to marry him wanted to hear that.

He wanted an emphatic "yes" from her. After all, he was putting his heart on the line here by asking her to marry him.

His proposal was definitely a big surprise. She hadn't been expecting this at all.

"Are you just asking me this because you feel sorry for me?" she said. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am sure," he said. "And what are you talking about - feeling sorry for you?"

"Well, I just recovered from the mugging and then, I had the fear of leaving the house," she said. "Are those not coloring your judgement in asking me to marry you?"

He pulled back. He was flabbergasted by her reasoning.

"Cristina, I am asking you to marry me because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he said. "This has nothing to do with the mugging and its consequences. I planned this trip to Hawaii, even before all of that took place. I do admit that the mugging did make me realize how close I was to losing you."

She looked at the ring, sparkling in the sunlight. It was beautiful, possibly the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen in her life. She put down the ring on the table.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said. "But I am not ready for this." She could see the hurt and disappointment on his face. He picked up the ring and put it back in the box he had in his pocket. He shoved the box back into his pocket. He said, "I think I need to be alone right now, so I am going to take a walk on the beach."

"I am sorry, Owen," she said. He put up his hand to stop her from speaking. He really could not hear anymore at this point. From the balcony, she watched him put the leash on Milo and walk out of the villa. Remy, the butler, who had been assigned to their villa, was surprised to see the gentleman leave. He still had to serve them breakfast.

"Mr. Hunt – will he back soon?" the butler asked. He had all of this food yet to serve.

"I don't know, Remy," she said. "I guess you can just serve me and you can put away his breakfast in the kitchen. I hope he will be back soon." As Remy served her, she watched out on the beach and saw Owen and Milo walking on the beach away from the villa. She really wasn't feeling hungry but Remy had gone to a lot of trouble to prepare the meal and she didn't want it to go to waste. She ate what she could, which was not much.

Remy knew something had gone wrong with the proposal, this morning. Mr. Hunt had asked that everything be extra special because he was going to propose. It was clear from the gentleman's sudden desire to walk on the beach that she had turned him down. He wondered why. He had observed them, since they came and he could see that they loved each other very much. He could tell the girl was young. Maybe she wasn't ready for such a huge step, as yet.

After breakfast, he cleared away the dishes and left the girl alone in her villa. Cristina lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She hadn't wanted to hurt Owen but she was not yet ready. As it was, she was basically dependent on him for all her living expenses, with her parents paying for her tuition. When she was a nanny, at least, she had her own money. Given at what had happened at her last attempt to get a job, she hadn't looked for another job. She felt she needed to contribute to their household, if she could be viewed as an equal partner in their relationship.

Owen was a kind and generous man, who would not ask her for anything. She knew that about him. He never found the need for her to work. He hadn't wanted her to take the job at the Barnes' house, plus he didn't feel she needed to get a job, when she had told him she was going to that job interview. Okay, so that didn't end very well but that had been an unsavory part of the Bronx. He was already a successful, fully-established lawyer, working for a top law firm, with a fabulous house on Greenwich Village. She, on the other hand, had nothing to offer. She wished he could understand that. She needed to be able to offer something to the relationship.

* * *

><p>Owen found himself walking the entire length of the beach. He just kept walking. Some people were already out on this New Year's morning. He observed a family with their three children, playing soccer on the beach, with their dog.<p>

He sat down on the sand and watched them. "See that, Milo. Look at them. If Cristina could only understand that this could be us. Me, her, Maddie, you and our future kids. Milo, don't you think that Cristina and I would have great-looking kids?" The chocolate labrador licked his face, as if in agreement. "Yeah, I knew you would agree.

He looked into the dog's light brown eyes. "Why doesn't she want to marry me, Milo? I love her so much and I am certain that she loves me. You spend a lot of time with her. I wish you could talk and tell me why." The dog lay down and rested his head in Owen's lap. "You are a good boy, Milo." Owen stroked the dog on his head. He watched the water lap on to the shore and somehow, it calmed him. He stayed there for another half hour before he headed back to the villa. He removed the leash from Milo's collar and went to look for Cristina. He needed some answers from her.

He found her asleep and snuggled up under the covers. He got in next to her and gently shook her awake.

"Cristina," he whispered into her ear. She curled her body back into him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"You're back?" she murmured.

"Yes," he said, as he buried his face into her curly locks.

"I'm glad you're back," she said. "Did you and Milo have a good walk?"

"Yeah, we did. We walked the entire length of the beach. We saw a family out there – a mom, dad, three kids and a dog. I told Milo that could be us," he said. "Why don't you want it to be us?"

She turned around and looked at him. She took his face into her small hands. "I never said that I didn't want that."

"So if you want that, then why did you say no?" he said. "I don't understand that. I love you and I know you love me. You do, right?"

"Yes, Owen, I love you. I love you more than anybody else in the whole world," she said. "I am just not ready to get married, as yet."

"Well, we don't have to get married right away. We can get engaged and settle into it for a while. We can have a long an engagement as you want," Owen said. "I mean we already live together. Getting engaged means we just formalize the relationship a little bit, until we are ready for that big step."

"You don't understand, Owen. I'm not opposed to the idea of getting married. I don't feel I bring enough into this relationship," she said.

"What do you mean, Cristina?" he said. "You give a lot to me, and to Maddie, too."

"I don't give financially. I don't pull my own weight, monetarily. You take care of me and I don't contribute," she said. "I don't have a job. When I was a nanny, I still had an income. But now, I am bringing in zilch, zip, zero."

"What you bring to Maddie and me cannot be measured in dollars. When we were without you, Maddie and I were desolate. You brought the light in our lives. You made us complete," Owen said. "No amount of money could pay for that."

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better," Cristina said.

"If you walked out of our lives tomorrow, Maddie and I would not be the same. You are the center of our home. You are like the sun and Maddie and I just the planets who revolve around you to survive," he said.

"Thank you," she said.

"So now that you know how much you mean to us, I am going to ask you again. Cristina Yang, will you marry me?" he said.

"Okay," she said, softly.

"Is that a yes?" he asked. "Say yes."

"Yes, Owen, I will marry you," she said. "Yes, I will wear your beautiful engagement ring. Yes, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, I want to have a family with you." He grinned, as he took the box out of his pocket, removed the ring and slipped on the sparkler on her left ring finger.

"However," she continued. "You are right that we don't have to get married, right away. I am serious about pulling my own weight in the house. As soon as I graduate, I am going to get a job in the school system as a counselor. It is not just about the money, though, it is also about my self-worth. That I am actually doing something that is worthwhile."

"Okay," he said. "As long as you are with me." He gave her a soft kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," she replied. They held each other close.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Please leave your comments. I do appreciate reading your thoughts.**


	25. Chapter 25 Surprise

It was the day before Cristina's graduation. Her parents and little brother were flying in from Virginia to see her graduate. They had already checked into their hotel, when she got the call from her brother that they were in New York.

"Hey, big sis," Jeremy said. "The folks and I are safely ensconced at the hotel. Dad was being cheap again and didn't want the bellhop to carry up our suitcases, so he wouldn't have to give a tip. He said we could save that money if we carried our own luggage."

"Well, you know, Dad, has never been known to waste a cent," she laughed. "Remember you guys are coming across for dinner tonight? It is very important that you be here."

"Yup, we will be there. We won't have to spend money on a restaurant meal. Of course, we will be there," Jeremy said. "Six is fine, right?'

"Yes, and stop making dad out to be a cheapskate. He paid for your trip to New York and your accommodations," Cristina chided her brother, who laughed.

"Yeah, he did," Jeremy said. "He surprised me when he sprung for a four-star hotel. I think he just wants mom to have a good time, since they barely go anywhere."

"Well, he should. They have been married 26 years," Cristina said. "And they don't go on vacations because both you and I wanted to go to very expensive schools. We should be grateful."

"I am, sis," Jeremy said. "But dad's penny-pinching ways are a great source of humor for me."

They both laughed. "See you later, we will. Excited to meet your fiancé, we are," Jeremy said.

"Stop talking like Yoda. Drives me crazy, you know," Cristina said.

"No fun, you are. Good bye," Jeremy replied.

"Bye," Cristina said. She was excited and yet had a little bit of trepidation in introducing her parents to Owen. She was never quite sure what would come out of her dad's mouth. He was a blunt man and often said what he thought, without much of a filter. He knew that he sometimes came out sounding harsh, when in reality, he was not.

She went back to the kitchen, where Owen was cutting up the vegetables. "That was Jeremy. He said that my family will be here at six," she told him, as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.

"Hey, I am cutting vegetables here. No time for loving in the kitchen," he said. She laughed, as she released him.

"I have to warn you about my dad," she said. "He usually says what he thinks and sometimes, it doesn't come out right. So don't get offended, he really doesn't mean anything by it."

"I am sure I will be able to deal with your parents," Owen said.

"Don't be surprised if he mentions anything about money," Cristina said. "He is a very thrifty soul in most instances."

"Okay," Owen said. "Well, the entire family will be together. The Hunts and the Yangs – soon to be one family." She grinned back at him, as they both got back to preparing dinner. Other than the Yangs, they had invited a couple of other friends for the dinner – Toni, who was also graduating with Cristina and Owen's friends, Bruce, Chuck and Janelle, and Maddie's dad Brandon and his wife, Lucy. It was going to be a celebration.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Toni was the first to arrive. She took a look around. "The place looks beautiful, Cristina," Toni said. She hugged her friend. "It's a big day. Go get ready. I will greet the rest of the guests as they come."<p>

Soon, the guests started arriving but the host and hostess were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Maddie. People were a little surprised to find Cristina's friend, Toni greeting them. They were also taken aback by how beautifully the living room was decorated with the flowers and the lights.

"Where's Cristina?" her mom asked, when they arrived.

"Cristina will be down, momentarily," Toni said. The last guests to arrive were two mystery guests, who did not introduce themselves to the others. Toni whisked them away to the kitchen, so the other guests would not have access to them. Everyone was wondering what was going on. Toni made a final trip upstairs before she stood at the bottom of the stairs to make an announcement. One mystery guest re-emerged and positioned himself in front of the fireplace, while the other one took out his camera.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I know you have been wondering where Owen and Cristina and Maddie are. Well, I have the pleasure to announce that tonight is not just Cristina's graduation dinner. It is that to be sure but it is something else, too. Ladies and gentlemen, you are now going to witness the wedding ceremony of Owen Hunt and Cristina Yang."

"What?" Cristina's dad said. This was a piece of news he had not expected. He sat down to gather his thoughts. Everyone else was in shock.

"Sorry for the surprise but they wanted to keep it secret until everyone was here. So without much further ado, let's get started. Oh, just to let you know, Mr. Novak will be officiating, while Mr. Brandenbach will be doing photography," Toni said. Mr. Novak nodded, while Mr. Brandenbach looked for the best position to take out his pictures. Toni ran to put on the music and the first notes of _Canon in D_ came on. Automatically, the small group of friends and family parted to form an aisle between them.

The music was the cue for Maddie to come down the stairs. Maddie was dressed in a beautiful lavender dress, as she dropped her rose petals on the floor. She was beaming. She was so happy that Uncle Owen and Cristina were finally getting married. She was followed by Milo, who had a bowtie around his neck. He dutifully followed Maddie down the aisle and stood next to Maddie, when he reached the top of the aisle.

Then, Owen and Cristina came down the stairs. Cristina was dressed in a fitted white lace dress while Owen had donned a black tuxedo. They walked hand in hand up the aisle. Cristina's mom, Helen, was taken aback by how beautiful her daughter looked. She started crying. Her husband took her in his arms because, he too, was crying.

As the ceremony progressed and by the time they said their vows, everyone was crying, even Bruce and Chuck. They were happy for their friend, who had found the love of his life. Or maybe they were crying for themselves, since they were both still single. Owen had long moved past his partying single days, when the three friends hung out in bars together, picking up women. Those times were a distant memory for Owen, who was now a happy and committed man. Judging from how he kissed his bride, they could tell how much Owen was in love with his new wife.

After the ceremony, there were much kisses and hugs to be shared. Cristina's mom Helen and her dad, Louis, hugged her for a long time. Her brother gave her a hug, "Now that, sis, was a huge surprise."

"Why did you keep it a secret?" Helen asked.

"We really didn't want to make a big fuss," Cristina said. "We wanted it simple and since you guys were already coming up for my graduation, it seemed to be an appropriate time. And dad, I saved you lots of money from having to throw a big wedding ceremony."

"Cristina, you know your father well," Louis said, as he gave her a kiss. "I think since we are now related to him, introduce us to your husband."

Cristina called across Owen, who had politely stepped back, so she could be with her family. "Mom, Dad, Jeremy, this is Owen Hunt. Owen, meet my parents, Helen and Louis and my little brother, Jeremy."

Owen offered his hand but they ignored it and they hugged him. "Welcome to the family, Owen," Louis said, slapping Owen on the back. Louis could admire a man, who managed to save him a whole bundle of money.

"I am honored to be part of your family," Owen said. He called Maddie over to introduce her to Cristina's parents. She was all smiles. She tugged at Cristina to pull her aside.

"What's up, Maddie?" Cristina asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am going to stop calling you Cristina. I am going to call you Aunty Cristina from now on," Maddie said. "That's because I want everyone to know that we are related."

"I am proud to be your Aunty Cristina," Cristina said, as she hugged the little girl close.

Toni announced that dinner will be served, as soon as the bride and groom changed their clothes. Owen and Cristina ran up to their rooms. As he closed the door, he looked at her, "Did I tell you how beautiful you look, Mrs. Hunt?"

"Yes, at least five times but you don't have to stop," she said. He came to her and kissed her, deeply. They continued kissing until Cristina told him that they had to stop to get dressed. "People are getting hungry and they are waiting for us," she said. He sighed.

"They can start without us," he said. "I want to make love to my beautiful bride."

"No, no, no," Cristina said. "Not while my parents are in the house."

"What? You are not a little girl. You are a married woman, now," Owen said. "And in your own house, too."

"NO, Owen," she said, as she could feel his hands trying to remove her wedding dress. "Later, I promise, later. I will do anything you want. And yes, I am a little girl, whenever my parents are around. I cannot help that."

"Anything? That sounds intriguing," he said. "Okay, let's get dressed for dinner."

As they came down for the dinner, everyone went to the dining room. Owen spoke, as everyone sat down. "Cristina and I are honored that you could share this wonderful moment with us as we become man and wife. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. We are so glad you could join us for this dinner – the first of many dinners to be hosted by the Hunt family."

"Yay," Bruce said. "Free food from the Hunts." Everyone chuckled.

"Yes, thank you for that, Bruce," Owen said. "You know you are always welcome. Just hoping for the day when you and Chuck find your lovely ladies to settle down with and be able to reciprocate."

"Soon, buddy," Chuck said. "As soon as I find the girl willing to put up with me for the rest of her life, then I can join you in the married ranks."

"That's the hard part," Bruce agreed.

"As much as I would like to commiserate with you guys, I am a little too happy to do that. Cristina has something she wants to tell her parents. Honey?" he said.

Cristina stood up, "Mom, dad. I know you have spent lots of money to finance my 18 years of education. I just want to let you know that I have a job. I will be the student counselor at the prestigious Brenton Day School here in Manhattan. I start in the fall semester. So, mom, dad, thanks for everything."

"It was worth it," Helen said, smiling at the news, as everyone clapped.

"I guess there is nothing much left to say," Owen said. "So, let's dig in. Cristina and I worked very hard on this today, so I hope you enjoy."

As he sat down, he took Cristina's hand in his and kissed it. "Are you happy, baby?"

"More than I have ever been in my entire life," she said, as she gave him a soft kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for leaving your reviews. One more chapter left.**


	26. Chapter 26 Road trip

**A/N: Final chapter.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ten years later<strong>_

"Is everyone ready?" Owen asked. "Yup," was the chorus of small voices from the back of the van.

"Okay, let's do a roll call to make sure everyone is in the vehicle," Cristina said. "Maddie?"

"Here, Aunt Cristina," the 18-year-old said. Maddie had grown tall over the years. She was now three inches taller than Cristina. She still had long brown hair and her green eyes were as bright as ever. She was a very pretty girl.

"Xander?" Cristina said. "Here, Mommy," the blonde eight-year-old boy said.

"Rafe?" Cristina said. "Here, Mommy," the blonde six-year-old boy said.

"Tristan?" Cristina said. "Here, Mommy," the blonde four-year-old boy said.

"Okay, we are all here," Cristina said. "You forgot to call out Daddy," Tristan said.

"Oh, it seems that I did forget," Cristina said. "Daddy?" "Here, Mommy," Owen said, as he reached across and squeezed her hand.

"So, we are all here, so I guess we better get on our way," Cristina said. The family of six was headed to Washington, DC to drop off Maddie for her first year of college at Georgetown University. Owen knew that the normally four-and-a-half hour drive from New York to Washington was going to take longer with the number of restroom stops with the three little boys and especially since Cristina was five-and-a-half months pregnant with their little girl.

He didn't know whether Cristina would be able to make the long road trip in her state but she insisted that she wanted to come along to get Maddie settled at school. They decided to take all three boys to make it to a family road trip to Washington. Owen thought it would be a great idea for the boys to visit all of the monuments and learn more about the nation's capital.

This last pregnancy almost did not happen. Eighteen months ago, Owen broached the topic of trying for a little girl. Their three little boys looked like him and none of their children looked like Cristina. He so wanted a baby girl, who would have Cristina's dark curls. Cristina was initially very reluctant, saying their house was already full with three little boys and Maddie. But he reminded her that Maddie would be leaving the house and going to college and it would be nice to have a little girl in the house, again. Cristina countered that there was no guarantee that the baby would be a girl. But she finally agreed to try just one more time. They had tried for an entire year but nothing happened. They went to the doctors to find out what was wrong. With the boys, they had no problems getting pregnant. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong with either of them and they just had to relax. Two months later, they found out they were pregnant, once again.

The kids took turns watching DVDs or napping. Maddie had enough cartoons to last her a lifetime. It was during one of the quieter moments that Owen heard her sniffing.

"Maddie, are you crying? What's wrong?" Owen asked his niece.

"Are you missing your dad, already?" Cristina asked. "Didn't you go across there and say goodbye, yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. But it is not that," Maddie said. "I was just thinking of Milo."

When she said that, Owen looked across at Cristina and he could see the tears already forming in her eyes. She was going to cry. The wounds were still fresh, when it came to Milo, who passed away two weeks ago. It was Cristina who had found him. She had gone down to feed him breakfast and when he didn't come when she called, she went and checked on him. When she realized he was no longer breathing, she started to weep, hysterically. Milo was 13 years old and though he had long ceased being Cristina's service dog, he had become the much loved family pet. Owen found her, crying on Milo's still warm body. He had to pick up his wife and carry her to their bedroom. Since she was totally distraught, Owen saw about the cremation of Milo's body. He brought home the dog's ashes in a box, which they buried next to the rose bush in the back-yard. The boys had worked on a cross, on which Maddie wrote, "MILO HUNT – Beloved friend and companion." Everyone cried, as Owen buried the box. Cristina said a prayer for Milo. Rafe asked his mommy, "Do you think Milo has gone to dog heaven?" Cristina looked at her son, her eyes filled with tears, "I am sure that Milo has gone to heaven, Rafe. He was a good boy."

The next day, the day after Milo died, the doctor told them that the baby was a girl.

Owen looked at Cristina; the tears were freely rolling down her face. "Oh, Maddie, look what you have done to Cristina. You know she is a hormonal mess, right now."

"I am sorry," Maddie said, tearfully. The three boys all started crying, too. They could not bear to see their mother cry. They cried, whenever she cried. They couldn't stand to see their mother hurt.

Owen himself started feeling misty. The tears were burning his eyes. He looked at the time on the dashboard. It was close enough to lunchtime. He might as well stop and let the family have lunch, since everyone was a weeping mess.

He went off the next exit. "Kids, we are going to get something to eat. How about that? So, let's dry those tears and get some lunch." He looked at Cristina, "You, too, baby. You have to stop crying." Cristina nodded, as she grabbed the box of tissues and profusely blew her nose.

Owen pulled up in front of a family diner place called Mabel's. Owen helped Cristina get out of the van, while the boys and Maddie scrambled out of the back. They went into the diner, which was brightly decorated with red and white checked tablecloths.

"It's just like those old-time diners," Cristina said. They found themselves a corner booth, so everyone could sit together. The three boys sat in the middle with Maddie on one end and Owen and Cristina on the other end.

The waitress came up and saw them, "Good day. My name is Marge and welcome to Mabel's."

"Thank you, Marge," Owen said. "My family is glad to be here. We are very hungry. Long road trip."

"Oh, really. Where are you guys headed?" Marge asked.

"We're dropping off our niece, Maddie to Georgetown. She's going to be a college freshman," Owen said.

"Ah, Georgetown. That's a great school, honey," Marge said.

"Yeah, I know. Aunt Cristina went college there, too," Maddie said. "So we're keeping it in the family."

Marge looked at the three little boys, who were quietly sitting. "Look at these three cuties that you have. You have a regular Home Improvement here. You boys sure look like your handsome daddy," Marge said.

Owen said, "Not exactly Home Improvement. We're going to have a girl in a couple of months."

"Aw, that is so wonderful. Just for that, I will ask the manager if we can give you free pie for dessert," Marge said. "Are you folks ready to order?"

Owen ordered for junior burgers for the kids, cheeseburgers for himself and Maddie and a Southwestern chicken salad for Cristina.

The service was quick and they soon had all of their food. There was little chatter at the table. The Hunt family knew how to chow down, when it came to meal time. Even Tristan managed to finish his entire burger.

As she cleared away the plates, Marge told them that she had asked the manager, who agreed to free pie, in celebration of the baby girl that was coming. She brought regular sized pie slices for Maddie, Cristina and Owen and children-sized slices for the little boys.

"Have you decided what you're going to name your baby girl?" Marge said.

"Yes," Cristina said. "Her name will be Zoe. Starts with a Z because she will be the final word on any more babies."

Owen laughed. "Whatever she said, I will agree," he said.

Everyone ate up their pieces of delicious apple pie. Owen left Marge a generous tip before they headed back on the highway to Washington. They finally got there a little after two. They headed straight to the dorms. There were lots of other students, also checking in to their dorm rooms. They found Maddie's room and her roommate was already there.

"Hi," the red-headed girl said. "I'm Sadie Landers from Tucson, Arizona."

"Hey, Sadie. I am Madison Hunt Cromwell but everyone calls me Maddie. This is my Uncle Owen and Aunt Cristina and these three little rascals are my cousins, Xander, Rafe and Tristan. We are from Manhattan," Maddie said, shaking the girl's hand.

"Nice to meet everyone. The boys are so cute," Sadie said. "I already took this side of the room. I hope that side is okay with you."

"Yes, that's fine. I prefer being nearer the window," Maddie said. Owen and Maddie brought up all of Maddie's boxes and suitcases. Everyone started to help Maddie unpack, even Tristan and Rafe. Sadie found it was really cute how the little boys were helping Maddie unpack. They really looked a lot like their dad, she thought.

When they were through, Owen said, "So Maddie, are you going to come with us, while we check in the hotel and then go see some sights before dinner."

"Yeah, I am going to come," Maddie said. "See you, Sadie."

They headed out of the dorms and out back to their car. Tristan was being a little naughty and decided to run off.

"Maddie, can you get him?" Cristina asked. "I am a little slow."

"Sure, Aunt Cristina," Maddie said. She chased after Tristan, just in time to see a handsome, dark-haired teenager catching Tristan.

"I think this belongs to you," he said, picking up Tristan, so he wouldn't get away.

"Yes, thank you," she said. She scolded her young cousin. "You shouldn't run away, Tristan. You don't even know where you are."

Cristina finally caught up with Maddie. "You got him."

"Not me, him," Maddie said. The young man stared at Cristina and his mouth dropped open.

"Cristina!" he yelled. "It's me."

Cristina stared at the dark-haired young man with his long dark lashes, rimming his very dark eyes. Suddenly, she started seeing a much younger version of the boy.

"Simon?" she asked, a little unsure.

"Yes, it is me, Simon," the boy said. He was so happy to see his former nanny, who he had loved so much.

"Simon Barnes?" Maddie said. The boy nodded, furiously. "And you're Maddie, right?" he responded.

"Yes," Maddie replied. Things were already looking good for her college experience, she thought. "So are you going to Georgetown, too?"

"Yeah, I just checked into the dorms, yesterday. My dad and my step-mom brought me up but they had to go back this morning," Simon said.

"So how are your sisters?" Cristina asked.

"Well, they have managed to finally separate from each other. Ashley is going to school in Vermont and Courtney is going to school in Texas," he said.

"Ah, that is good to know," Cristina said. The girls together were quite a handful but she was glad that they were embracing their individuality.

Owen came up with the two older boys. "Hey, what's taking you so long?"

"We just met up here with Simon Barnes," Maddie said. "You remember him?"

"Yes," Owen said. Of course. he remembered. He could also remember all of his jealous feelings when Cristina used to work for Simon's dad.

"Well, Simon, we are just going to check into our hotel, so we are heading out, now," Owen said. "Maddie?" He caught his niece staring at the boy.

"Uh, yes," Maddie said. "So I will see you around, Simon."

"You can bet on that," Simon said. He gave Cristina a hug. "It is so good to see you again, Cristina."

As the young man walked away, Cristina noted Maddie still staring at the boy's retreating figure. "Yes, Maddie, he is very cute." Maddie blushed. She had never been so taken with a boy like this, before.

* * *

><p>It was Christmas vacation and Maddie was headed back to Manhattan. She had finished her finals that morning and grabbed the first flight up to Manhattan. Simon had traveled with her. He was now her boyfriend. He had taken a separate taxi to his house, while she headed to the townhouse.<p>

She opened the door to the townhouse to find that Toni and Chuck there, babysitting the boys. Toni and Chuck were now a married couple. Chuck had been inspired to ask Toni out at Cristina and Owen's wedding. They found that they had a lot in common and two years later, they had got married, when Toni found herself pregnant. Chuck and Toni had two children – a seven year old boy named Patrick and a five year old daughter named Lola. Their children were also there.

"Hey, Toni, Chuck," Maddie asked. "Where's Uncle Owen and Aunt Cristina?"

"Hey, Maddie," Toni said, giving her a hug. "It's time for little Zoe to be born."

"Oh, my God, oh, my God! I better get down there," Maddie said. She hugged her little cousins and headed to the hospital. "New baby, boys," she screamed.

She pulled on back her coat, scarf and hat before she caught a cab to go to the hospital. She ran to the OB/GYN ward to look for Cristina. She found Bruce in the waiting room, chatting up a nurse. He was a confirmed bachelor and was still chasing the girls. Maddie shook her head, when she saw him. Bruce would never change.

"Bruce, Bruce, what's going on?" Maddie yelled.

"Maddie, she is close to delivery," Bruce said. "Your Uncle Owen is in with her. I am expecting him to come out, any moment, now." He turned to the nurse. "Talk to you, later. Don't forget to give me your phone number." She smiled, as she walked away.

Maddie sat down on the sofa, waiting. A half-hour passed before Uncle Owen came out. He had a huge grin on his face. Maddie ran and hugged him.

"Zoe's here and she is perfect," Owen said. He showed them a picture of the baby. "What do you notice?"

"Dark curls, Uncle Owen, just like Cristina," Maddie said.

"Yes, I finally got my mini-Cristina," he said, happily.

"I am so happy for you," Maddie said. Bruce gave his friend a hug. "Congratulations, man."

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, it was Christmas Day. Owen had warned the boys not to come storming into their room, as they usually did, because the baby was sleeping in their room. There was a small knock. Owen tiptoed away from the bed, hoping not to wake Cristina or Zoe. He opened the door. It was Maddie and the three boys.<p>

"Maddie, you are 18 years old, you can't be doing this," Owen said.

"Hey, I am still a kid at heart," Maddie said. "We're going down to open our presents."

Owen nodded, as he closed the door. He was putting on his slippers, when Cristina said, "Time to open presents." He turned around. "Hey, you don't have to get up."

"Of course I have to get up. I can't miss all of the fun," she said. She put on her slippers and ran out of the door. He chased after her. They went downstairs to the living room, where everyone had their one present to open, as was Hunt tradition. Everybody had already opened their one present, when they heard the doorbell. Who could it be that was at their house so early in the morning?

Owen opened the door. It was Bruce and in his arms, was a golden retriever puppy. "Hey, man," Bruce said. "I brought this over for the kids. A home with this many kids always needs a dog." He thrust the puppy in Owen's arms. "Merry Christmas."

"Thanks, do you want to stay for breakfast?" Owen asked, as the puppy licked his face.

"No, I have a hot breakfast date with a sexy nurse," Bruce said. "I am going to meet her at the hospital now. She is now coming off shift. Who knows, Owen, she could be the one. So, see you guys."

Owen carried the puppy to the living room, where the boys fussed over the dog. Owen watched Cristina's reaction. It had now been a couple of months, since Milo died. He watched as she put out her hand and the puppy came directly to her. She picked it up and hugged it. "Hey, pretty girl."

"Why don't you name her, Cristina?" Owen said. Cristina lifted the puppy up and stared at her face. "She looks like she is a Bella."

"Bella. Her name is Bella," Owen repeated. Just then, they heard the baby cry on the monitor. "I will go get her," Owen said. He brought down the dark-haired baby and gently rocked her in his arms. "Seems like Zoe didn't want to miss out on the action."

As he sat there with his youngest child, Owen looked over the entire scene with pride. Maddie and the boys were busy opening their presents. Cristina was engrossed with the new puppy. And here he was with his baby girl.

He knew life could not get any better than this. He had the family he always wanted with the woman that he loved. His life was complete.

_**THE END**_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So we have come to the end of this story. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have, writing it. Please leave your comments to let me know what you thought. Thank you.**


End file.
